Chapter 157: Regarding Me Being Called a Cheating Scumbag (Part 1 of 3)
Above the Black Mist.
Shaya adjusted his posture, getting more comfortable. Behind him, the light golden branches swayed and spread according to his will, transforming from a throne into a lounge chair.
This special world formed by the black mist was unique. Shaya called it “Above the Black Mist.” It was different from the sub-dimensions and pocket dimensions that Shaya was familiar with, and had even personally modified. Above the Black Mist, like the Remnants of the Imaginary Belt that Shaya and Little Ai had transformed into “Eden,” was isolated from history and possessed an independent spacetime flow rate.
During his ten years in Eden, Shaya had spent most of his time exploring and mastering the Above the Black Mist, in addition to his daily meditation and time with Little Ai. As for the progress of exploration and mastery, if he had to describe the current state of the black mist in one word. It would probably be— a ball of yarn.
“Speaking of which, am I considered a cuckold?”
“If I’m not mistaken, this should be the place where the organization Golden Dawn holds its secret meetings.”
“Those guys probably never imagined that they only sent me an invitation letter back then, and now their own lair is at my mercy.”
He could only say there was a strange thrill to it.
Shaya lay leisurely on the lounge chair, releasing his spiritual power to sense the generation of faint star spirit bodies below.
“This one is okay… it should be worth three-quarters of a Vortigern.”
“This one isn’t good, it only looks like half a Vortigern…”
“Hoo, the strength of this star spirit body is about two Vortigerns. This should have already stepped into the realm of demigods and thrones.”
“Oh, I can’t see through the spiritual power of this one, and there’s an aura of divinity. Is this the boss?”
Shaya hid himself deep within the black mist, commenting on the star spirit bodies of the visitors one by one. From Shaya’s current perspective, Vortigern, the Vile King of Escarnia a thousand years ago, could be considered to have reached the extreme of Legend, qualified to challenge the limits of the throne. This was the so-called “peak of the nine-revolution ultimate legend realm.”
Using Vortigern as a unit of power, it was easy to determine the opponent’s spiritual power strength. Those clearly stronger than Vortigern had likely already entered the threshold of the throne or truly stepped onto the Path to Godhood. These were so-called thrones or demigods. Those weaker than Vortigern were probably at the level of seasoned legends.
Shaya finished his appraisals and was slightly taken aback when he looked at the star spirit body that transmitted a familiar aura.
“Quasi-legend?”
The aura transmitted from Solun’s star spirit body was far more powerful than Shaya had anticipated. If they were to disregard the additional ten years in the Remnants of the Imaginary Belt, this girl had completely relied on her own strength to catch up to Shaya and Aerora in the Holy Court. This was an incredible feat, as Shaya knew well how much she had cheated to improve her strength. Solun did not have the ability to enter Historical Echoes, nor did she contract the Holy Spear like Little Ai… Even with the support of the entire Holy Court’s resources as the Saintess of Dawn, reaching this point so quickly could not simply be attributed to a pile of resources.
Shaya peeked from Above the Black Mist, watching the figure at the head of the bronze long table cough lightly. That figure, whose star spirit body strength he couldn’t see through, took a seat at the head of the bronze long table, looked around, and then slowly spoke.
“Then, let’s begin this secret meeting.”
…
More than a dozen hazy figures, shrouded in black mist, took their seats around the bronze long table.
“According to plan, Golden Dawn will welcome two new members today.” The figure at the head of the bronze long table spoke slowly.
“What is the status of the previous messenger now?” He looked down.
“Not good.” Someone below the bronze long table replied.
“He has been given a death sentence by the Azure Silver Witch’s Word of Power, and all his vitality has been stripped away.”
“Although his life has been barely sustained by a holy artifact of the Goddess of Life, the authority of that Word of Power is still in effect, and no healing potions or familiar skills can affect him.”
“To fully recover, we can only wait for that instant-death Word of Power to dissipate. It will take at least another five months.”
The leader nodded.
“It seems regrettable, Shaya Egut, and the Azure Silver Witch beside him, do not seem prepared to accept our invitation.”
“Of course, from today’s perspective, this might not be a bad thing.”
“After all, even we did not anticipate that he would be able to stir up so much trouble.”
“Not only did he bring back the Second Princess, who was supposed to perish with the Remnants of the Imaginary Belt, in perfect condition, but he also completely killed the Crimson Moon… making him an enemy in the eyes of the Abyss.”
The leader looked around the bronze long table for a long time before speaking again.
“I believe many of you have already received the intelligence—”
“The entire Lost Domain is now restless, preparing to take advantage of the succession of power in the Freista Empire.”
“At that time, regardless of who wins between the Abyss and the cults against the Empire, the entire Western Continent will fall into a period of turmoil. But this also represents that the time we have been waiting for has arrived.”
“The Fourth Era is nearing its end… Soon, the era of legends being high and mighty will cease to exist.”
“Those who have passed away, the mythical creatures sleeping in the Astral Realm, will all return… Angels and saints will walk the mortal world as they did in the First Era.”
“And what we must do is take advantage of this chaotic interlude—”
“To bring back the eighth Dawn Deity, the Great One, the Golden King Rhine…”
…
As the leader-like existence made such a proclamation.
Voices of discussion and uproar rose and fell. Although the members of Golden Dawn, more or less, understood the purpose of this organization, announcing it so directly still caused quite a stir, with whispers everywhere. Even Shaya’s eyes narrowed slightly. The words spoken by this being, who was suspected to be the leader of Golden Dawn, though not many, contained a significant amount of information.
The Golden King—Rhine.
For any resident of the Western Continent, from thrones and legends to ordinary citizens, this name was known to all. The founder of the Holy Calendar, the person whose name was inscribed on every Rhine gold coin in the Western Continent. He, no, He was the eighth Dawn Deity besides the Seven Gods of Dawn? This piece of news was not entirely unexpected by Shaya. After all, a supreme being who could open a new era, truly step onto the Path to Godhood, and even achieve true godhood, was not surprising. It was just that he had originally thought the Golden King would also choose the path of the throne, but now he was referred to as the eighth god, which undoubtedly meant that the other party had given up his human form.
What truly concerned Shaya was the news of the Golden King’s return.
“Tsk—”
“Ancient gods sleeping in the Astral Realm are returning, the Abyss will riot, and the Holy Spear and Holy Sword are being unsealed one after another…”
“This is clearly intending to stir up major trouble; they won’t even let me have a peaceful day.” Shaya sighed. It looked like this was the rhythm for destroying the Fourth Era and ushering in the Fifth Era. Moreover, judging by the momentum, this time the scale seemed far from comparable to the catastrophe at the end of the Third Era. After all, although the end of the Third Era was also an era of chaos with legends and demigods emerging and saints walking the earth, not many true gods had resurfaced. Only the king of longevity, the Crimson Moon, personally intervened, and he was half-crippled, his courage shattered, and he dared not fight, so he was at most at the level of a demigod.
…
“Of course, the return of the Great One requires time and cannot be completed in a short period.”
“Therefore, the more chaotic the Western Continent, the better.”
“When that Second Princess is recognized by the Holy Sword, coupled with her strength that has already broken through the limits of the throne, once she formally ascends the throne, the Empire’s rule will become completely impregnable and unshakeable.”
“Therefore, Isadorella von Freysburg.”
“Since she is an existence that should have been erased by the power of correction, it is better for her to be buried forever.” The leader on the bronze long table issued a cold declaration.
No one raised any objections. Since ancient times, the purpose of “Golden Dawn” had been to “safeguard the correct historical process.” And what constituted the correct historical process was, naturally, decided by themselves.
“Those cultists seem to have prepared a fetish and a divine descent ritual, wanting to interfere with the imperial succession ceremony by giving birth to an evil god.”
“But the divine descent ritual will cause too much commotion. If it were performed in other cities, it would easily attract the attention of other order-aligned forces, especially the Dawn Holy See, once the divine descent entity walks the world.”
“During the enthronement ceremony, the Imperial Capital will inevitably be under martial law, making it difficult for a large number of cultists to enter…” After a long pause, someone by the bronze long table spoke hoarsely. He was clearly a being in the Lost Domain, closely connected to those evil god cults, and perhaps even a high-ranking member of a cult himself.
“Regarding the Dawn Holy See… I will handle it. A bishops’ council will be held by the Holy Court.”
“Most of the red-robed bishops of the legend rank will attend, and for twelve hours, no legendary figures from the Holy See will interfere in the Empire’s affairs.” A hoarse female voice sounded. It was the star spirit body that had entered with Solun. Shaya looked up from Above the Black Mist—the star spirit body strength was only about half a Vortigern, not very good. However, judging by her words, she was obviously a high-ranking figure in the Holy See, otherwise she wouldn’t have the ability to control the timing of the bishops’ council. Perhaps she was a red-robed bishop holding a high position.
“I can solve the issue of martial law in the Imperial Capital.”
“However, the divine descent ritual and the fetish that accommodates the power of faith must be executed by me.”
“Also, after the task is completed, I will need a piece of unclaimed divine fragment or authority fragment as remuneration…” A moment later, another aged voice sounded.
Good heavens, what kind of secret organization is this? It might as well be renamed a concentration camp for double agents. Shaya, hiding Above the Black Mist, had Yui madly record the star spirit body information of these speakers through the Soul Pact. The star spirit bodies, in their astral form, were very vague, making it difficult to directly identify their real-world identities. However, by recording their characteristics, Shaya could detect them if they met face-to-face.
The major order-aligned factions of the Western Continent had been infiltrated to the point of being sieve-like. Not only did the Dawn Holy See have a double-agent of red-robed bishop level, but even the Empire had strong individuals infiltrated. As the saying goes— when you see one cockroach in a room, it means there are already hundreds living and eating with you. Following this logic, there were likely plenty of double agents in the Alliance of Lieges as well.
“Haha… I didn’t expect you, old fellow, to finally see reason.”
“Are you no longer fixated on the limits of the throne and finally resolved to step into the divine realm?” The powerful being who seemed to be from the Lost Domain clearly recognized the last speaker and let out a few unpleasant laughs in a hoarse voice.
“Don’t worry, although unclaimed divine and authority fragments are rare, we have accumulated some over thousands of years.”
“It’s just a transaction.” The person who claimed to solve the issue of martial law in the Imperial Capital nodded calmly without saying much.
“Just send the fetish that accommodates the power of faith through the black mist to me.” The discussions around the bronze long table continued for a long time before subsiding. Shaya, too, recorded all this information word for word. The more he listened, the more alarmed he became. Manipulating divine descent rituals, assassinating politicians, infiltrating nations, orchestrating wars… these matters were spoken of by the participants of Golden Dawn as casually as eating and drinking. Clearly, in the history of this organization, Golden Dawn was no stranger to such deeds.
Not long after, one by one, star spirit bodies withdrew from Above the Black Mist, returning to the Material Plane. Time flowed at an independent rate here, so when these Golden Dawn participants returned to reality, barely an instant would have passed in reality. Even if observed by others, it would only appear as a moment of trance, and no one would notice anything unusual. Soon, besides Shaya, who had been observing in secret, only three figures remained Above the Black Mist.
The leader, Solun, and the double-agent bishop from the Dawn Holy See who had entered with Solun.
“Auriel.”
“And, if I’m not mistaken, this should be the current Saintess of Dawn?” Seeing only three figures left at the bronze long table, the leader nodded. He glanced at Auriel and then turned his gaze to Solun.
“According to the intelligence I possess, Shaya Egut, who shone brightly at the Borgia family banquet half a year ago, seems to have had a past relationship with you.”
“Did he owe you a debt of adoption?”
“Leader, that was many years ago.”
“That Shaya Egut is extremely flirtatious, involved with many women, and neglected Solun…”
“Solun has long since parted ways with him…” Hearing the leader’s question, Auriel hurriedly explained. But the next moment, the figure at the head of the table raised his hand slightly, silencing Auriel completely, making her dare not speak.
“It’s all right.” He looked down at Solun, who had been sitting obediently since entering the secret meeting of Golden Dawn without speaking. He spoke gently.
“After all, he did take you in. Whether you still hold feelings for him now or have long forgotten him, the organization will not make things difficult for you.”
“In fact, I am not targeting Shaya Egut, nor am I doing anything detrimental to him.”
“On the contrary, Golden Dawn can only bring him benefits, not harm…”
“I will bestow upon him a great opportunity, a boon that will allow him to ascend to the heavens in one step, directly reach the throne, and possess the power to rival or even surpass gods.” His words carried a strange infectiousness, making Shaya feel mild and elegant, as if bathed in a spring breeze.
“My previous invitation to him was indeed sincere, but it is regrettable that Shaya Egut was too wary and did not accept the invitation.” He looked at Solun and spoke sincerely.
“Therefore, I invited you to join Golden Dawn, precisely to express our goodwill to Shaya Egut through you.”
“Although he mysteriously disappeared for three months, I know he must still be alive, existing somewhere in this world.”
“Since Shaya Egut parted ways with you five years ago in Lokiia, have you had any contact with him since?”
“If so, through what channels did you communicate?” Solun seemed to sense the leader’s sincerity, and her reply carried a hint of emotion. She blinked her soft eyes and timidly said:
“Actually, Solun and Shaya still had some contact in these past few years.”
“Oh? How did you communicate?” The leader’s voice followed immediately.
“Through the Seven Gods.” Solun’s words carried a sense of solemnity and sanctity, perfectly fitting her image as the Saintess of Dawn.
“Every day when I pray, I offer prayers to the Seven Gods of Dawn and have them deliver the letters I write for him to Shaya Egut.”
“As the Saintess of Dawn, my prayers are always answered by the Seven Gods… yet I have never received a reply letter from Shaya Egut.”
“It is clear that he is indulging in the pleasures of the harem within the Empire and has long forgotten my existence.” As she spoke, Solun showed a hint of indignation. However, she then blinked curiously and looked towards the chief shrouded in black mist in the distance at the bronze long table.
“However, since you, Leader, and His Excellency Auriel said that Golden Dawn was founded by the eighth Dawn Deity…”
“Then I assume that by asking the great Eighth God to confirm with the other Seven Gods, the answer can be known, right?” The moment Solun finished speaking. Both Auriel and the leader, shrouded in black mist, stiffened slightly. And Above the Black Mist, Shaya couldn’t help but laugh.
He could only say, as expected of Solun. Originally, seeing Solun appear at the secret gathering of Golden Dawn made his heart feel a little heavy. He worried that this girl had truly betrayed him and was secretly contacting a secret organization like Golden Dawn. After all, unlike Aerora, he had known Solun for a shorter time and spent less time together. Little Ai’s personality was like a blank sheet of paper, pure and easy to understand. After so many years of constant companionship, her trust in Shaya would no longer waver for any reason, whether it be time or death.
But Solun was different. This girl was very intelligent, so intelligent that Shaya, relying on his knowledge as a transmigrator, could propose grand conjectures and blueprints, yet Solun could easily understand them, and even make modifications and additions based on them. Whether it was the birth of “Yui,” or the research and development of the Black Knight, the Sun Furnace, or the Heaven’s Wrath device, without Solun’s help, Shaya’s research progress would have been much slower. In the field of Mechanists, or in other fields, Solun could be considered a true genius. However, this also made it difficult for Shaya to see through the true heart of this bold, proactive, and often teasing woman in their magic communication device.
But now it seemed, he had worried too much. At least the Solun he knew was definitely not the dignified and holy, perhaps even a little foolish, Saintess of Dawn before him. And what about the eighth god not contacting the Seven Gods of Dawn… The power of faith was the food that gods lived and grew on, and it could also be said to be their lifeblood. It was all about one position per person. How could the old gods allow newly born mythological creatures to steal their faith? The “Golden King” Rhine, whom Golden Dawn revered and intended to resurrect, was supposed to be as righteous and glorious as the leader said, otherwise Golden Dawn wouldn’t have to hide in the dark, holding secret meetings for its members and carrying out its plans covertly. Wouldn’t it be more profitable to openly announce their existence in the Dawn Holy See and then openly divide the faith as the eighth god? In the end, no matter how grandeur and glorious the Golden King Rhine was, at least now he must be something that could not see the light of day. Especially to the Seven Gods of Dawn. Even though the Holy See and the Holy Calendar were founded by the Golden King Rhine, it was like saying that the subordinates’ good work was due to the leader’s credit. Naming you an outstanding employee or a model worker was one thing. But if you really started causing trouble and tried to usurp their position and become their equal, you would have to face their wrath.
Both Auriel and the leader were stunned silent by Solun’s inquiry. After a moment, the leader coughed lightly, “When the opportunity arises, I will naturally ask the Great One.” He looked at the dignified and holy Solun again and said with some unwillingness, “Has he truly never contacted you proactively in these past few years?”
“Never.”
“Shaya Egut is a fickle playboy. He forgets old loves when he finds new ones. With the Azure Silver Witch and His Royal Highness by his side now, he has long forgotten me, the village girl from Lokiia City back then.” Solun shook her head resolutely.
“If you don’t believe me, Leader, you can ask the Seven Gods to verify.”
…
Finally, with Solun’s constant replies of “May the Seven Gods bear witness” and “Why doesn’t His Highness Rhine directly ask the Seven Gods?”
Both Auriel and the leader could only sigh helplessly. They had no choice but to give up their questioning. The star spirit bodies around the bronze long table slowly dissipated. Only Shaya remained, leisurely leaning back on the lounge chair woven from golden branches.
“What do you mean by a fickle playboy? I just love everyone equally.”
“This is clearly pure love.” He chuckled, recalling Solun’s last words.
“I just don’t know why she got involved with this secret organization, Golden Dawn… Is it because of Auriel?”
“Never mind, anyway…”
“After Little Ai finishes her breakthrough, we’ll return to the Prime Material Plane together and eliminate all hidden dangers and conflicts.”
“Then I can formally go to the Dawn Holy See to propose.”
“If the Holy See refuses, I’ll just have to snatch her away.” As he thought this, Shaya was about to withdraw from Above the Black Mist and return to Eden in the Remnants of the Imaginary Belt. But the next moment. The black mist in front of Shaya suddenly churned, rising and falling. A faint, illusory prayer sound echoed in his ears.
“Oh, distant and mysterious black mist.”
“You are the clouds overlooking the world, the eternal kingdom outside of time, and the fog beyond the laws.”
“Please act as a witness to this fair transaction and transmit this fetish to the secret coordinates in the Imperial Capital of the Freista Empire on the Prime Material Plane.”
