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The Blessed of the God of Steam and Machinery can indeed be called the Blessed of knowledge and civilization. Although Roselle is almost becoming the Mother Goddess now, as long as a Demon of Knowledge or Lord of the Mysteries appears, he can still be saved. This life-saving grace should be repaid by working for them!
Leyton subtly curved his lips, then quickly reined in his thoughts. He looked up, sensing something, and saw Botis gazing at him with a serious expression, his right index finger on his cane twitching slightly, as if he was carefully choosing his words.
After a moment of contemplation, Botis asked in a deep voice:
"Is Emperor Roselle still alive? And has he reached that stage?"
"If the other party is Emperor Roselle, then it's not surprising, is it?"
Leyton chuckled in response, while sighing inwardly that he had been killed by the Eternal Blazing Sun right after becoming a god.
Botis's expression changed from confusion to sudden realization, then he nodded gently:
"Indeed, that is Emperor Roselle. He, no, He achieving such a feat is not surprising at all."
"So, Roselle's appearance was part of the Erudite's plan from the very beginning? To promote the development of the era?"
"No." Leyton gently shook his head, and facing the curious gazes of the surrounding crowd, he chuckled and said:
"The Erudite never actively interferes with the world's development and operation. He merely exists objectively, observing and recording everything in the world."
"Whenever a life sparks with wisdom through thought, He casts His gaze. True wise men can, by this, glimpse a trace of His figure from the boundless knowledge and mysteries, becoming His fellow travelers."
"Fellow travelers." Botis narrowed his eyes slightly and said without much fluctuation in his tone:
"The Saint of Darkness occasionally mentions the Creator and the Erudite together. Since you are Their divine messenger, who do you think is greater?"
Leyton casually surveyed the surroundings, seeing the curious expressions of everyone, and probably understood the reason for Botis's question. He chuckled and said:
"Their greatness is not something you or I can judge. Everyone has their own standards of measurement."
"But if we must force a comparison, it can be understood like this:
The Creator is the Lord Who Created Everything. Whether it's the land beneath our feet, the vast cosmos above our heads, or you and I, along with all life on this land, all originate from the Creator. His greatness needs no further explanation."
The Erudite is the embodiment of knowledge and civilization. This is the biggest difference between us and ordinary animals, because we have developed our own civilization and are constantly progressing. Knowledge and civilization have no end, so we can never see the full picture of the Erudite and cannot truly know His greatness."
"If you believe that the existence of the world, the world itself, is more important, then you can consider the Creator to be greater. If you believe that the misty, unpredictable future is more important, then you can consider the Erudite to be greater."
"Of course, from my personal point of view, there is no distinction of who is greater between Them. What truly influences our judgment is the path we choose to walk!"
Botis nodded gently while taking two steps forward, and mused aloud:
"So that's how it is. If I hadn't already determined my path, I might have considered walking with knowledge and mysteries."
Meeting Leyton's slightly puzzled and incredulous gaze, he chuckled and explained:
"My original intention for becoming a Beyonder was not just for extraordinary power. More than that, I wanted to change myself and change how others viewed me."
"As my loved ones passed away one by one, I gradually forgot this initial goal."
Botis's eyes became much deeper, as if complex emotions were flowing within. With a soft sigh, he moved past this topic and said:
"As the messenger of the Erudite, what do you think of our future? Will the Southern Continent prosper like the Northern Continent currently does?"
Botis's question was met with approval and anticipation from everyone around. As native Southern Continent people, they had lived on colonized land since childhood. While a small portion might be content with the status quo, most hoped to establish a new country belonging to the Southern Continent people themselves, a country as prosperous as those in the Northern Continent.
Leyton's gaze swept around, taking in the expressions of everyone present. Then he once again conjured a burning matchstick, and chuckled as he said:
"The future is uncertain, but I can show you a future I can foresee, a future recognized by the Erudite."
Under everyone's expectant gazes, the flickering flame on the matchstick became hazy and indistinct. Colorful lights flashed everywhere. As their vision zoomed in, they realized that all those lights of various colors were indeed streetlights.
This was a city with strangely shaped tall buildings, and colorful lights illuminated every part of the city, revealing a unique sight where machinery and architecture perfectly combined, possessing a strange beauty that did not belong to this era.
Roads, complexly interwoven like a spiderweb, connected every part of the city. Steam cars of various designs stopped and started on the streets, and many strangely shaped airships circled above the city.
"Are those lights? Why are there so many colors?"
"And so many lights are shaped like words, just like those shop signs."
"The buildings here are so tall!"
"Are those coffin-like cars powered by steam?"
The discussions around them rose and fell, and even the Saint of Secrets, Botis, gazed at this illusory scene with astonishment.
"Even an illusion needs a True existence to appear so realistic, but does such a unique and magnificent city truly exist? Even Backlund, known as the 'Capital of Capitals,' is far inferior to this city."
"An incredible city, completely beyond my imagination. Is this the future?"
Botis did not deliberately lower his voice. He was not only asking for himself but also guiding the people around him.
Leyton chuckled and nodded, responding leisurely:
"The future is never fixed. It will diverge differently with each choice we make. This is the most suitable future, chosen by the Erudite."
"The Fifth Epoch is nearing its end. Before the True apocalypse arrives, the Erudite will truly appear to lead the tide of the era, pushing its development towards the best possible future and opening up the Sixth Epoch."
"This is a struggle between civilization and the apocalypse!"
Botis nodded gently towards Leyton, then stopped asking questions and turned his gaze to the surrounding crowd, seeing the emotions flickering in their eyes. Although it didn't reach the point of them believing in the Erudite right now, they acknowledged His teachings.
Under the guidance of the Lord, the New Church is striving to change people's current situation, helping them live better in this world full of suffering, giving them a glimmer of hope. The Erudite's teachings, however, are telling them that they should improve themselves and create a better future for themselves.
No wonder They would unite. Besides uniting against the Seven Deities and many evil gods, Their philosophies also complement each other to a certain extent, so there won't be overly strong conflicts among their followers.
"Your Excellency Divine Messenger, how far away is such a future?"
Botis's thoughts were interrupted by a somewhat abrupt voice. He turned his head curiously to look at Leyton, waiting for his answer, as he was also very curious about this question.
The matchstick Leyton was holding also burned out at this moment, and the dreamlike scene around them quickly disappeared. The midday sun shone down again, pulling the still somewhat dazed crowd back to reality.
He turned slightly to face the worker who had just asked the question. Under the gaze of his Eyes of Mystery Prying, Leyton could easily discern his True age—under thirty—yet his face appeared somewhat aged, as if weathered by hardships. Wrinkles already creased his forehead, but his eyes were very bright, full of confidence in his life.
Leyton chuckled and nodded at him:
"It won't be too long. When the tide of the era reaches its peak, when the Erudite personally descends—and this, will not exceed ten years."
"Not exceeding ten years? That's great, that's great…"
"Yes, I can still live for another ten years without a problem."
"There was a winding river in that miraculous city just now. Is that the future Paz River Valley?"
"Your Excellency Divine Messenger, can such a city truly be built in less than ten years?"
Various voices rose one after another. Leyton chuckled, and said in a leisurely and Mystic tone:
"This world is not only inhabited by ordinary people, but also various machines, Beyonders, and even Deities!"
The surroundings instantly fell silent, so quiet that Leyton seemed to hear the sound of people swallowing their saliva.
After a long while, someone murmured:
"Was that a city created by a Deity? No wonder, I always felt it was like a miracle."
Leyton stood silently to the side, quietly listening to the discussions of the surrounding crowd, not attempting to explain more to them.
Given the current technological level of this world, it would indeed be very difficult to build such a cyberpunk-like city. Even with the abilities of Beyonders, it would be challenging, but the Paragon is an exception. If He personally takes action, even if it cannot be fully recreated, it won't be too far off.
After waiting for a moment, until the sounds of discussion around him quieted down, Leyton finally spoke with a smile:
"Today's sermon ends here. I will be back at the same time next week. If you are interested, you can come here at the same time to wait."
As soon as he finished speaking, the brilliance in his eyes suddenly surged, and a brilliant galaxy was reflected from his eyes, scattering specks of starlight around him.
These starlights had no warmth, yet they were exceptionally sacred. Everyone illuminated by the starlight clearly felt their minds clear significantly, and the discomfort in their bodies from sitting cross-legged for a long time also vanished.
The scattered starlight did not last too long, only a few breaths. They dissipated along with the receding brilliance in Leyton's eyes.
"The soreness in my body actually disappeared directly, how magical!"
"Is this the ability of a Beyonder?"
The crowd started discussing again, but this time they quickly stopped because a bolder person asked the question that concerned all of them:
"Your Excellency Divine Messenger, can we become Beyonders?"
Botis looked at Leyton curiously, wondering how he would answer. According to the Aurora Order's theory, it was possible, but the number of Beyonder characteristic was constant, so it was impossible to prepare a potion for everyone, even for Sequence 9.
Leyton curved his lips. He casually displayed his Beyonder abilities precisely to wait for this question.
He turned his head to look at the young worker who asked the question, and chuckled as he said:
"Yes, any creature can become a Beyonder."
"Currently, there are two known methods in this world to become a Beyonder. One is the current mainstream potion system, where one advances by consuming the corresponding potion. However, the number of potions is limited, so only a minority can become Beyonders by consuming potions."
At this point, he gradually slowed his tone, lowering his voice slightly:
"The second method is Spirit World Sorcerer, who gain power through knowledge. This is a system belonging to the Erudite, and any intelligent creature can embark on it, even a rabbit, a kitten… as long as they possess sufficient wisdom, they qualify to become a Spirit World Sorcerer."
"Unlike the potion system, the Spirit World Sorcerer system has no quantity restrictions, but it has high demands on knowledge. It requires gaining power by exploring mysteries and mastering knowledge, and manifesting substantial Beyonder abilities through the Spirit World."
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