Chapter 893
“The Serpent” Deceived Us!
Under the correct operation of Sin (M), the “elevator” was reactivated – a device similar to the Church’s lifts. Considering the precedence, perhaps the Church’s lifts were modeled after the Sky-Piercing Tower.
The initial floors posed no danger, just as Eivass had observed. The Sky-Piercing Tower had turned into an empty void.
Although the device on the fourth floor held value, carrying it to higher floors would be inconvenient. Thus, they passed by the fourth floor without stopping, continuing upwards.
“…These individual spaces layered one after another, this towering structure reaching the heavens, the transparent elevator detached from its platform. All of this… it feels so familiar.”
Eivass quipped.
Cardinal Galatea behind him calmly replied, “It’s not surprising. The civilization of Those with Breasts is inherently later than the Winged Ones and Those with Scales. In the initial stage of civilization, imitating one’s predecessors is the normal course of action, just as humans imitate Elves.”
“Those with Breasts…”
Eivass repeated Cardinal Galatea’s term for Elves.
…It had to be said, Elves were indeed quite large on average.
He couldn’t help but tug on Cardinal Galatea’s sleeve and ask, “Are Elves the original Those with Breasts?”
“Precisely. Nurturing others with one’s own milk – isn’t that the concept of Illuminate Spell?”
Cardinal Galatea retorted, “You should remember that when the Young Priests first learned Illuminate Spell, a milky fragrance would emanate from them. That was a remnant from before Illuminate Spell became a professional skill. The profession of Priest has its roots in Those with Breasts, just as Mages come from the Winged Ones and Apothecaries from Those with Scales.”
Transforming one’s own flesh and blood into nourishment for the health of others. This act itself, for the continuation of civilization, holds no individual meaning.
Therefore, the essence of “breastfeeding” is the most ancient **[Devotion]**!
“So, you mean,” Eivass realized, “The Kingdom of Giant Trees was indeed built in imitation of the Sky-Piercing Tower?”
“I hope you haven’t forgotten, Cardinal Loki of the Eleventh Ring, who simultaneously monitors the Twenty-first Ring down to the First Ring from that very layer.”
Cardinal Galatea’s voice was as cold and emotionless as a doll’s. “This is the same principle as the nameless device of the Sky-Piercing Tower.”
“Nameless… is it truly nameless?”
“Yes. Because for the civilization at that time, there was no need to give it a new name. These devices naturally appeared in various places; they were a part of civilization itself. If you insist, some might call it the ‘Nexus,’ the ‘Mother Nest,’ or the ‘Brain.’ But there was no need for a unified name – because through its function, no matter what people called it, they could understand each other without misinterpretation. Therefore, language was unnecessary, and ‘names’ were meaningless.”
Cardinal Galatea’s speech became increasingly fluid.
…Whether it was an illusion or not, Eivass felt that Cardinal Galatea was gradually talking more. The knowledge she possessed was also gradually increasing.
This was clearly not information Cardinal Galatea should know, yet she was gradually “remembering” it.
Even her tone seemed to have become more lively.
“‘Doll,’ you…”
Eivass hesitated for a moment.
…So, those who saw “phantoms” before, besides Eivass, a Transcendent, and Zhu Tang… was this Cardinal who had signed a contract with the Twin involved as well?
But… could others listen to such secrets?
Cardinal Galatea proactively said, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. You can call me by my name. The moment I spoke my first word, everyone else was already within an illusion. In their perceptions, other than us not speaking, nothing else was different from what actually occurred.”
…Illusions are truly terrifying. They can even achieve this…
Eivass once again realized how adept Cardinal Galatea was at illusions.
He no longer held back and directly asked, “Have you survived from this era?”
“In a sense, Your Majesty.”
This doll-like Cardinal Galatea replied coldly and plainly, “Before the Atlanteans – that is, Those with Scales – were destroyed, they created us. I was once an Atlantean, but my memories were sealed. In theory, we should have fallen into a deep slumber, thus evading the prophesied world-ending disaster.
“It wasn’t until a very, very long time later that I was awakened again… and only then did I realize that my kin, for some unknown reason, had all failed to enter slumber. Thus, I became the only Star Crystal Person to awaken.
“When I saw the illusion just now, my memories began to resurface. I gradually remembered… I had also been here before. Like every Atlantean who revered this sacred site, I was once an apprentice here.”
The elevator continued to ascend, having reached the sixth floor.
Cardinal Galatea continued, “I, too, should have been among those destroyed by the lightning of punishment. But at the time, I had taken on a mission to retrieve the Serpent Father’s Holy Oil from the Primal Temple, thus leaving the Sky-Piercing Tower. Yet, I hadn’t gone far before the Sky-Piercing Tower was struck down by lightning. I wasn’t in the tower at the time, but I was still affected and lost consciousness.
“When I awoke again, I was already placed in this cold Star Crystal body. My mind was almost frozen, and these numb, false senses made me acutely aware… that I was dead. And because of the secrets I knew, my kin did not wish to let me enter the Origin River.”
“Why did you die? And what were you researching?”
Eivass quickly asked.
He was acutely aware that the great secret of the Amber Era was now just one step away from him.
“Haven’t you already guessed?”
Cardinal Galatea’s voice became increasingly human-like and complex, “Just as you suspected.
“It was a plan to send the Fallen Heavenly Envoys… or rather, the leader of the Winged Ones, the second ‘King of Winged Ones,’ Lucifer, into the Dream Realm.
“With the [Wisdom] that exhausted the truth of the entire world, and the [Power] condensed from all the people of the world, to obtain the Sacred Number Eleven.
“Four Great Elements, Seven Great Imprints – breaking the limit of the number ten, reaching the realm of the impossible possibility, transcending the encroaching disaster of the void. This was the ultimate purpose of the Sky-Piercing Tower. At that time, we already knew that the ‘Pillar’ ultimately had to be pure and flawless. A person cannot lift themselves up; therefore, the ‘Pillar’ cannot break through the void of ten.
“To achieve this, one must seek power from outside the pillar.
“And then, “the Serpent” told us, ‘Your plan still has loopholes,’ perhaps an additional lock could be added—
“Thus, we, all our people, prayed, and established a temple for living beings within the Sky-Piercing Tower, performing living sacrifices. Generation after generation of Winged Ones offered their souls, enshrining the King of Winged Ones as a god; this was the sacrificial rite of **[Devotion]**;
“Those with Scales stole the Serpent Father’s Holy Oil, anointing and imprinting the King of Winged Ones; this was the ritual of **[Beyond]**.
“…In the end, we failed.”
When she spoke this sentence, Cardinal Galatea’s tone was like that of a living person. “Violence is invisible, truth cannot be spoken – when we failed, we didn’t even know why we lost or why we died. Only now have we understood everything…”
At this time, the elevator ascended to the eighth floor.
An intense sense of crisis suddenly struck their hearts—
“Warning!”
Vagrant suddenly jolted and cried out, “Prepare for engagement!”
The next moment, the ascending elevator suddenly got stuck, emitting a creaking sound. Everyone’s bodies jolted violently, and the feeling of intense weightlessness almost sent Little Cat, the lightest among them, flying out!
As the elevator doors opened, they saw a sky-obscuring flock of crows flying towards them—
“The Serpent deceived us.”
Cardinal Galatea finally came alive from the frozen history—or rather, she had regained her soul.
“He lost his power of reincarnation and came to steal the fruits of the Sky-Piercing Tower’s ritual to regain his position as a Heavenly Envoy. Ultimately, the Serpent of Scales and the Bird of Wings ascended together, stepping onto the path of transcendence.
“The power of ‘Four,’ originally intended for the King of Winged Ones’ merged ascension, was stolen by the Serpent. Due to the imbalance of the grand numbers, the King of Winged Ones leaned towards the ‘Seven’ of the grand numbers… that is a more barbaric, more chaotic power, hence He became the uncontrolled, fallen side of the ‘Transcendent’ power.”
“That power, could it be…”
Eivass blurted out.
Cardinal Galatea had already calmed down again.
Without hesitation, she confirmed Eivass’s guess, “Yes, that is the Heavenly Envoy’s law of the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
“—Endless Knot!”
At this time, the flock of crows in the distance had become clear.
Those were not crows at all!
—They were a group of frenzied demons!
“The first demons were the souls of those Winged Ones.”
Cardinal Galatea’s voice echoed behind Eivass. “They are the earliest Priests in this world.”
(End of this chapter)
