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Leyton gently tapped the coffee cup with his right index finger and said calmly:
"He's still using those mushrooms to infect the struggling lower-class citizens, spreading the faith of the great Mother to them, but his movements seem to have accelerated."
"As expected. With the power of my Lord, we have destroyed many mushrooms growing along the riverbanks. He might have sensed some issues, so he chose to speed up his actions."
Leomaster nodded slightly, looking as if he had anticipated it.
After a brief silence, Leyton changed the subject:
"The weapons acquired from Feysac will take a few more days to reach West Balam. The Golden Dream will be sailing outside the safe channels of the Berserk Sea, so its speed will be somewhat affected."
"Once the weapons arrive, we can make our move."
A rare smile appeared on Leomaster's face, making the already deep wrinkles on his face even more pronounced.
He lowered his gaze to the True Creator's holy emblem, consisting of a scarlet cross and blooming roses, placed on the table. He prayed softly for a moment, then chuckled as he responded:
"The Saint of Secrets and I will lead a group of Church members to hold back the Beyonders of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery and the Intis Military, but we will need some additional support to end the battle quickly."
"Accompanying the Golden Dream is also a Saint who believes in the Erudite. It will assist you in ending the battle as quickly as possible."
"Moreover, we also have the favor of destiny!"
Leyton leaned back comfortably in the wooden chair and responded with a light chuckle.
He picked up his coffee and took a sip. Afterwards, Leomaster suggested gathering the citizens who were willing to learn about the Erudite, so Leyton could preach to them.
Under the large expanse of shade behind the factory, Leyton, without much regard for his image, leaned against a large tree that required two people to encircle, feigning sleep.
Under the shade of the trees around him, or on the long benches provided, workers in uniform gathered in small groups, quietly discussing something.
While feigning sleep, Leyton listened to the discussions of the surrounding crowd and idly thought, "I'm really not good at preaching. If Ethan were here, it would be great; he seems to be very Apprentice at this kind of thing."
As his thoughts churned, Leyton felt someone approaching him. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the person.
It was a man in a mysterious black robe, around thirty years old, with slightly curly, stiff brown hair and deep eyes that seemed to contain countless stars.
He held a dark brown cane in his right hand, a faint smile on his lips, and undisguised curiosity in his eyes. When he saw Leyton notice him, he bowed slightly and said:
"Good afternoon, Envoy of God. I didn't expect that besides being an Envoy of my Lord, you are also an Envoy of the Erudite."
"When you're out and about, your identity is what you make it."
Leyton replied lazily, ignoring the other party's startled expression and showing no intention of getting up from the ground.
A faint, deep blue glow emanated from his eyes. The other person's figure transformed into a complex aggregate of information in his sight. He meticulously distinguished the unique aspects of the other person.
Leyton saw layers upon layers of illusory Doors on the other person, as well as an invisible and vast curtain of shadow completely enveloping him.
Among the complex information, he saw a silver-black three-layered jewelry box, possessing a very high Sequence. Even his Eyes of Mystery Prying couldn't see all the information contained within, or rather, it couldn't allow him to see clearly, otherwise he would directly face the terrifying corruption sealed within.
Corruption from the Cosmos? Is that the Box of the Great Old Ones the Abraham Family once possessed? Is he Botis, the Saint of Secrets who defected to the Aurora Order?
Mystery Pryers are really not easy. The Eyes of Mystery Prying finally became controllable after becoming a demigod, but it also became more powerful, able to see more and more terrifying things through faint connections. The dangers of other Pathways either come from adjacent Pathways or from the top of the Sequence. Only Mystery Pryers often cause their own demise.
Leyton's gaze made Botis pause uncomfortably. He felt that the Envoy of God's gaze saw through him exceptionally clearly, as if no secret could be hidden under his gaze.
Leyton quickly retracted his gaze, looked up at Botis, and said with a light chuckle:
"Saint of Secrets, Botis? Appearing here at this time, are you also curious about the Erudite?"
Feeling the gaze that seemed to be able to pry into everything disappear, Botis stiffly twitched the corner of his mouth, forcing out a smile and saying:
"It is I. For a Hidden existence never heard of before, anyone would be curious to learn more, and I am also very curious about the doctrines of that Agnostos Theos."
Noticing Botis's expression, Leyton smiled without much emotion and said:
"My apologies. Observing surrounding things is an instinct of a Mystery Pryer. If my gaze made you uncomfortable, please forgive me. I will try my best to restrain myself."
"The Eyes of Mystery Prying of a Mystery Pryer? I've always known that the Eyes of Mystery Prying can see more than most Beyonders, but I didn't expect your Eyes of Mystery Prying to be so powerful. Under that gaze, it seems nothing can be hidden."
Botis quickly composed himself and spoke casually, looking full of curiosity and surprise.
Leyton nodded noncommittally and sighed softly:
"In the world of Beyonders, seeing too much and knowing too much is often not a good thing. Half of the reasons for a Mystery Pryer's loss of control and death are because of their eyes."
While Leyton and Botis were chatting, the factory workers, and even some nearby residents, had already gathered. Guided by the factory managers, they formed a semicircle and sat down, placing leaves or wooden boards beneath them.
Botis glanced around, then grabbed at the void with his right hand. The surrounding space instantly distorted and was enveloped in shadow.
He combined the Secrets Sorcerer's concealment and spatial concealment abilities, applying a concealment effect to this space, isolating any potential or existing prying and probing.
Having done all this, he nodded slightly to Leyton, then walked to the side, standing quietly beside a palm tree, waiting with the surrounding workers and nearby residents for Leyton's sermon.
Taking a deep breath, Leyton stood up, propping himself on a protruding tree root. His figure instantly became transparent, transforming into shimmering specks of starlight, then quickly re-materialized in the center of the semicircle formed by the crowd not far away.
He emerged from the sparkling starlight, a faint smile on his lips. His gaze swept around, taking in the surprised, curious, or eager looks of those around him.
He slightly lowered his voice, making it sound more solemn and steady, and said:
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"I am an Envoy of the Erudite, scattering the seeds of knowledge for It, spreading the light of civilization, and guiding the direction for every explorer of mysteries."
"You can call me Al Tines."
After a brief introduction, he chuckled as he looked at the quiet crowd. A pure, deep blue glow flowed in his eyes, giving him an exceptionally sacred and wise feeling, yet also appearing quite indifferent due to its excessive rationality.
In this state, he resembled a wise sage. His words and actions exuded an inexplicable persuasiveness:
"My Lord is an unknown deity; It has never existed, because no one truly knows It, yet It exists eternally, because It is incarnated in all things, present in every tiny thing around us, present in every thought we have."
"'Erudite' is my Lord's self-effacement. It believes that as long as one continues to explore, knowledge is infinite, so It only considers Itself an Erudite."
"It is the essence of knowledge, the light of civilization, and the ultimate answer to all mysteries. All knowledge, both what we know and what we don't know, originates from It."
"We give birth to civilization through knowledge, so It is also the light of civilization. We explore mysteries because we thirst for knowledge, and my Lord is the source of all mysteries."
As everyone was immersed in Leyton's words, he magically flicked his wrist and produced a burning match. The faint yellow flame flickered gently, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
"I think what you see with your own eyes should be more profound and more credible than my narration."
"So, please join me in witnessing this knowledge of civilization and the light of civilization!"
Leyton narrated in a calm, low voice. His words seemed to possess an attraction, causing everyone to instinctively focus their gaze on the burning match in his hand.
The flickering flame grew enormous and hazy in their gaze, as if countless scenes were appearing before their eyes, too many for their brains to process, only seeing constantly shifting light and shadow.
The blurry and hazy images gradually became clear, and they saw many figures appear and then disappear.
Among them were giants as tall as small mountains with gray-blue skin; huge dragons with vast membranous wings soaring in the sky; Phoenix, covered in pale flames and feathers woven with mysterious patterns, like messengers of death; and most conspicuously, Devils with their bodies wrapped in crimson and blue-white flames, and humans who were vassals of these races.
"In unknowable ancient times, this world was ruled by legendary creatures such as dragons, giants, and Phoenix, while we humans, as their vassal race, barely survived."
Leyton's voice was low and hoarse, as if carrying the vicissitudes of a long history.
The hazy and blurry scenes around them changed again, as if spanning a long period of time. At this point, humans were relatively independent. They had different faiths, developed a complete Beyonder system, and became the true ruling race of the world.
The scene continued to change. The first human empire appeared, the Solomon First Empire, which ruled the entire Northern Continent, followed by continuous conflicts, and kingdoms constantly rising and falling.
It was not until the Fifth Epoch, until the appearance of the man named Roselle, that the scene suddenly became much clearer. Under the leadership of Roselle, the "Son of Steam," the world's technological level exploded.
They saw the emergence of various machines, the social progress brought by the Industrial Revolution, and the various changes in daily life.
The meaning of civilization appeared clearly and heavily in everyone's hearts. They had never seen the development of society and the progress of the era so clearly, so intuitively.
"We give birth to civilization through the inheritance of knowledge, and we explore mysteries because we thirst for knowledge, stirring up the tides of the era and driving social development."
"Roselle was the best and most successful. He was once a Blessed of knowledge and Civilization, and now he has already walked to my Lord's side, becoming a truly great one!"
Leyton narrated in a calm tone, as if telling a legend, a story.
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