In the western part of Aurora City, a residential area that is not considered a core.

"Mr. Lane, have you heard, just three days ago, the temple of the Goddess of Law collapsed."

Hurriedly walking into Ryan's courtyard, Ender's expression was a little eager. He stayed at home for the past two days and didn't go out, but he didn't expect to hear about this kind of thing as soon as he came out.

Over the years, he has studied drama with Ryan, and Ander has also learned a lot about the history that ordinary people don't know, as well as the true power of the gods.

The temple of the gods has collapsed, does this mean that they are dissatisfied with humanity? He came desperately to seek Ryan, who had always been knowledgeable and seemed to know everything, but when he walked into the courtyard, it was empty.

There was a layer of dust on the tabletop and it looked like it was two days old. There was nothing else on it, just a beautifully shaped puppet.

"Mr. Lane?"

Still no response. The door to the house opened, but there was nothing inside, not even the things that Ryan used to use were gone. Everything seemed to indicate that he had left here, and it didn't look like he was leaving for a short time.

In an instant, a huge sense of loss surged into Ander's heart, in fact, he expected today's scene, but when it really happened, he was a little overwhelmed.

Ryan had mentioned more than once in his speech that he would leave here one day. It's just that in the past, Ander thought that this day was far away, but he didn't expect it to be today.

"Probably because of the collapse of the temple, Mr. Lane is a priest after all."

Sighing, Ender looked at the puppet on the table.

This may be the gift that Mr. Lane left him, and he has spoken about it before, saying that he will leave Ender with a 'gift beyond your imagination' before leaving.

Ander was silent for a moment, then gently grasped the puppet and turned to leave.

Whatever it was, it was something left behind by the elders who had taught Ender for decades, and he would surely cherish it. However, in the next moment, Ender instantly froze in place.

The moment the puppet touched his palm, an invisible 'lock' seemed to be unlocked. In the past, it locked up all the 'abnormalities' about Ryan, and everyone subconsciously ignored them under the influence of this power, but from this moment on, it no longer had effect on Ender.

Along with it, there was a message, information about the puppet.

"It's—"

With his eyes widening, Ander looked at the 'toy' in his hand. Just now, based on what he learned from that message, he knew the secret contained in the puppet in front of him, which was indeed beyond his imagination.

He doesn't know if this message is true or not, but if it is.

"Phew, don't rush."

"Your spiritual power is not strong enough, according to the message, even if you can use external objects, you must first reach the realm of 'legend'."

Taking a deep breath, Ender said to himself.

Over the years, in order to multitask, Ender has learned the method of meditation in order to multitask. It's just that as a mortal, he is far from being able to break through the barrier in a short period of time like an existence that is essentially a god, and the meditation he learned is really just meditation, and he has no other occult related knowledge.

If the realm before the legend was divided into four stages, he was now at the apex of the third order, and he was still far from the transcendent realm.

When it comes to power, Ander used to be very concerned, but now it's different.

"Mr. Ryan—no, is His Highness Ryan a god?"

Whispering to himself, Ander knew that the teacher he had never admitted was not only a god, but also a god who was more likely than the creator. After all, Prometheus once said that the boundary between mortal things and gods cannot be broken.

But now, it's just that the Creator isn't strong enough.

Holding the puppet tightly, Ender's excitement slowly calmed down. After so many years, although he has seen many things that are not so 'good' in human beings, he still retains the good thoughts in his heart.

Therefore, although he has received a great benefit, he is still worried about the collapse of the temple.

After all, this may represent God's displeasure with humanity, and although he has what he has, it is only the future.

"Let's go to the priests I know first, they should know something."

Making up his mind, Ander walked out of Ryan's courtyard. Crossing the threshold and looking at the sky, I have to say that today's weather is indeed a bit strange.

The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be pressed down, and the silver serpent danced in them. Especially at the heart of Aurora City, where the clouds are especially thick.

An invisible feeling of depression gripped his heart, and Ender shook his head to expel the feeling.

After all, it was the safest place for the human tribe, and although he had never been there in person, Ender knew very well what was there.

It is the dwelling place of the Creator and the temple of the God-King.

······

It was already dark, the clouds were gathering more and more, and there were no more pedestrians on the roads. In this weather, which looks like it's going to rain heavily, people don't really want to run outside.

The sporadic firelight scattered among the human tribes that were quiet at the moment brought a little light to the dark night where they couldn't see their fingers. Not long after Momont left, Orson cloned himself in black and walked out of his room without a sound.

Standing on the street, Orson looked back. This is the wooden house he has lived in for decades, or was it built with him by the Creator.

It was a model for other humans, and Prometheus taught them how to build a house, and Orson was proud to live here.

But in the future, he probably won't have a chance to live again.

"But there's no way around it."

Sighing, Orson felt a little nostalgic.

"You are neither the strongest god nor the best of the best, and I am indeed grateful that you created me, but that is not a reason for me to die with you."

"No—I'm the only one who will die, you never!"

The voice was soft at first, as if convincing itself, but then it became gritted again. I don't know when it started, but Orson felt more and more envious of the gods. Envy to the point of some resentment.

Immortality, immortality, strength, faces, they are obviously so similar to humans, and even Orson doesn't feel any difference between them. If anything, it's just that the gods are born better.

After all, they have been gods since the day they were born.

"Whew-"

"That's why faith can't be discussed."

"Some idiots just can't figure it out."

Stopping the tumbling mood, Orson laughed to himself.

See, he's proof. He is the one who has received the most and greatest gifts from the gods among human beings, but he is the least god-believing of all.

In the past, he enjoyed the feeling of fooling the gods. Now he is rebelling against his Creator again.

Sometimes Orson feels that he is indeed despicable, but there is no way, the reality is like this, the world is like this. As long as you are worthy, you can live well. On the other hand, whether you are noble or despicable is not that important.

Just like he is now, isn't he the high priest who stands at the apex of the bronze human race?

But now it's time for a change. At one time, his 'intelligence' was his value to the Creator that distinguished him from other human beings. Now it's time to show value to other gods.

Of course, the premise of everything is that the other party must also be able to give him what he wants.

"It's almost time."

Clenching his fists and firming his thoughts again, Orson walked towards the core of the tribe.

The dark clouds in the sky were getting thicker, making the air seem a little oppressive. Maybe it was the calm before the heavy rain, but there was no sign of wind along the way. By the light of the fires in the houses on both sides of the road, Orson could barely make out the road with his eyes that were no longer bright.

He'd walked this road many times in the past, but this time it was unusually slow. The further you go, the brighter it becomes, because this is the heart of Aurora.

Here, the sacred fire of the gods is fueled by animal fat and is not extinguished all year round. Even at night and rainy nights, there are people who take care of them at all times to prevent them from going out.

"High Priest."

"Hmm."

"Lord Orson."

"Okay."

"High Priest."

“.”

Gradually, Orson met some acquaintances on the road, and he nodded his head to greet him.

As the core temple of God, it is natural that there will not be no one to take care of it because of the night. Although the people in charge of guarding the temple were a little confused about Orson coming late at night, they didn't think much of it.

After all, the other party is the high priest, and the temple of the goddess of law collapsed a few days ago, so it seems that it is not a strange thing for Orson to come to pray to the gods.

All the way forward, just like that, Orson slowly came to the temple where he had worked for many years. Looking up, even at night, this tall and majestic temple is still solemn and shining, which is caused by the divine power within the statue.

Here, the power of faith, divinity, and elements seem to have some wonderful reaction after the fusion of the three, and a power similar to divine power is vaguely born, but it is much weaker, but it is not suppressed by the laws of the present world.

If Orson had come hundreds of years later, he might have been able to make out that every inch of this temple had been 'sanctified'. It possesses a few extraordinary properties that can suppress some of the negative energies.

At the same time, the spirits' 'through the walls' of ignoring entities will not be effective here, and they will be blocked out like physical life. Even the corresponding superficial spiritual realm seems to be different from other places.

"High Priest."

Seeing Aosen's figure, the two young men in charge of guarding the portal greeted in unison.

"Okay, ignore me, I'll go in through the side door."

Waving his hand to stop the young man from opening the main door, Orson thought for a moment, then turned his head and admonished:

"After a while, I will use the methods taught by the Creator to communicate with the gods and try to solve the problem of the collapse of the temple of the goddess. Don't bother anyone to bother me, remember, I'm talking about anyone! ”

"Yes, High Priest."

The young man replied respectfully.

"Good."

Nodding, Orson didn't hesitate any longer. He walked around to the side and entered the temple through the small door through which the worshippers usually enter and exit.

Push open the small door, then carefully close it once you enter, the hall is very empty, so that the sound of footsteps and the opening and closing of the portal is particularly clear. Orson didn't turn on the lights, so he walked in by the faint light of the skylight.

Soon, when he came to the innermost part of the main hall, Orson raised his head and looked at the tall statue in front of him, stunned.

In the past, he had offered sacrifices to the god-king here countless times, and had performed similar acts in other temples, but each time he had prayed for something that did not matter to him personally.

He wanted eternal life, he wanted power, but God's promise to mortals was not there. Some of them gave fire, some let the wind and rain subside, and some let the crops be abundant, but none of them were willing to give life to mortals.

"With the exception of you, the revered Lord of Ten Thousand Thunders, the King of the Gods."

"Only you know our prayers, and there are few things in the world that you cannot give. You didn't define the scope of the reward, but you gave us hope for everything. ”

Praise with hope, as every time in the past, Orson recited aloud a hymn describing the God-King.

Now, it's time for him to show the god-king his worth.

"Zeus, the great god of honor, the immortal Zeus!

We pray to you and present proof of reimbursement!

O Sovereign, the sacred is revealed through your head:

Mother Goddess of the earth, the shores of the roaring mountains, the sea and all the stars in the sky.

The great Zeus, son of Kronos, the Lord of the worlds with lightning in his hand!

You are the source of everything, the beginning and the end of all things!

O shaker of the world, the beginning of growth and purification!

King of the gods who rules lightning, thunder, and thunder!

Hear me from Zeus, the great God the Father:

Your most loyal servant beseeches you, grant me eternal life, a noble position, and a power sufficient to serve you! ”

When the poem was suspended, Orson felt, as usual, God's gaze was cast.

Recently, because of the frequency of sacrifices, the gods have not often paid attention to the sacrifices of mortals. But the call in the middle of the night still caught the attention of the God King.

After all, this was the first midnight sacrifice, and he planned to hear what this mortal was going to say, and why he dared to pray to him for eternal life, status, and power.

So after feeling the gaze of the god king, Orson prostrate on the ground. His heart was pounding, but he looked religious and fanatical.

He began to tell how he revered the gods, about the place of the Creator among men, about how Prometheus intended to deceive the gods.

He was not willing to join him at first, but the Creator's prestige among mankind was so great, and the disparity in their power was so stark. So much so that it was not until today, when the despicable son of Iapetus finally offended the Goddess of Law for his rampant behavior, that he finally had the opportunity to tell the god-king what had happened.

Finally, kneeling on the ground, Orson said in a loud voice:

"O Supreme King of the Gods, as you promised:

There is little in this world that you cannot give me. The secret I have brought you is a testament to my devotion to you, and I ask you to grant me eternal life as promised. ”

Orson is confident, because it has always been like this.

The gods were far away in Olympus, and they could not tell whether a person was religious or not. Since they measure faith by sacrifices, the secret of his sacrifice is the most solemn sacrifice in the world.

The faint light from the skylight shone on Orson's prostrate figure, and also illuminated Zeus standing behind him.

Someone prayed to him, and he listened; The other party longed for him to come, and he came. The god-king had demonstrated his power in this world, and the law was roaring towards him, but this could not hide the anger in Zeus's heart at this moment.

His face was expressionless, and he slowly looked around. The resplendent temple looked solemn, but at the moment it seemed a little ironic, after all, all this was just for deception.

Eventually, Zeus looked at Orson who was kneeling in front of him. In any case, as a god-king, he should indeed reward and punish clearly.

He knew that this guy was not loyal, but it was somewhat useful. The God-King secretly decided that as long as this mortal had the slightest faith in himself, then he could grant him eternal life, and use his existence to proclaim the benevolence and prestige of the God-King among the new humans in the future.

can feel it for a long time, but the result is a big surprise to him. Until this moment, the high priest, who was kneeling on the ground, was not aware of what was happening. He waited expectantly for the blessing of the gods, but no matter how the god king looked at it, there was no trace of faith in him.

All he could see was this lowly mortal's belief in himself.

“.”

"Pious."

"Heh, I see. It seems that I was wrong, we were all wrong—it turns out that this is faith. ”

With a sneer, as the thunder swept by, Orson turned into charcoal unconsciously. An invisible force acts on his corpse, and he will remain in his status quo forever, prostrate in the center of the temple.

Looking through the walls and looking at the human cities that were thriving with the blessing of the gods, the God-King's anger grew to the point that he was going to ruin these wretched lives, even if most of them knew nothing about it. Thunder and lightning gathered in the sky, as if the next moment it would fall to the earth, but the next moment, he stopped his actions.

Not only because Zeus had regained a little bit of his senses, but also because he had a better idea.

Humanity can be destroyed at any time, but the chance to solve Prometheus may only be this once. If there is a next generation of humans, he doesn't want to see this seer who likes to be with people, and his very existence is the biggest obstacle and competitor for the gods to gain faith.

So Zeus wants to give him a chance to make Prometheus's disobedience to the divine court a little more complete, if he really loves the human beings he created as much as he appears.

As a result, the God King no longer resisted the suppression of the laws of the world, and this incarnation that descended from the sky was instantly annihilated, even affecting his own body. But at the same time, with a thunderclap, the God-King's decree came into effect.

At this moment, the voice sounded in the ears of everyone and the gods with the temple as the core and the sacred mountain as the core. Whether asleep, awake, on earth, or in heaven, they heard the indifferent voice of Zeus in the thunder, the cause and effect of everything, and the brief judgment of the god-king:

"From this day on—"

"Take away the 'fire' that has been given to mankind."

(End of chapter)