"We'll talk about it later…" which meant solving the immediate problem first, then settling accounts afterward.
Chiron naturally understood the young man's implied meaning, but he was now in a dilemma.
Although he hadn't participated in the wizards' experiments, he believed he had indeed used their research results.
'I wonder what they're up to this time… First, it was soul division and phylactery creation. Now, they haven't started dabbling in 'thought creation' or 'Memory rewriting,' have they…?'
He wasn't entirely sure, because the Centaur remembered that the Great Wizard named Erwinseemed to have mentioned this inadvertently.
However, under his repeated questioning, he stated that it was merely a failed concept.
They couldn't bestow thought upon an existence that originally lacked Wisdom, and modifying the memories of living people would only overwhelm their souls, causing them to collapse.
In their anticipation, unless they could closely interact with the Authority related to 'Soul,' 'Memory,' and 'Mind,' at the very least, an existence that had completed soul qualitative change and reached the Legend realm in the spiritual domain would be required to undergo such modifications.
Even then, it would lead to irreversible mental disorder and collapse.
Although the anticipation had not been verified, they couldn't verify it… After all, there weren't many such existences in the entire human world, and they certainly wouldn't offer themselves as test subjects.
Therefore, after studying the divine power granted to divine spellcasters by the Goddess of Beauty, the wizards, who already possessed spells similar to [Charm Human], had long since ceased similar research.
At least until then, their purpose in studying souls and Memory was not to blaspheme the gods, but merely to pry open the door to eternal Life.
Thus, Chiron eventually believed their explanation, only making Erwin sign a 'Devil's Contract' that the Goddess of the Magic Web had acquired from who knows where, promising never to restart this line of research.
"Words can lie, but contracts do not deceive. Even my teacher admits the binding power of a Devil's Contract on non-divine beings; he cannot break free…"
With this thought, Chiron opened the secret passage and led the way into the hidden door leading to the depths of the underground palace.
Along the long stone corridor, as the two entered, candles lit themselves without flame.
The silver-haired Archpriest, with his long hair flowing over his shoulders, followed closely, frowning slightly.
Faintly, he caught a whiff of that peculiar scent, a faint fragrance that was unlike the pungent smell of burning animal fat, but rather refreshing.
"Is this a special lamp oil synthesized by wizards?"
After searching his mind and still failing to identify the source of the fuel, the young man simply asked.
However, in front of him, before the Centaur's tall back, although Chiron also didn't recognize the origin of the oil, an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
"I don't know either… Perhaps it's some new technology."
Responding truthfully, the Centaur continued forward.
Thump-thump—
Hooves trod on the ground, walking for an unknown duration in the stone corridor. At this moment, the Centaur felt every second stretch into a year.
Only when a bend was close in front of him did his steps finally halt… Just around it, perhaps he could see the true secret of this underground palace.
Hesitating for two seconds, Chiron was indecisive.
But under the calm yet increasingly profound gaze behind him, he finally took a step forward, rounding the last obstruction.
"Your Grace, it should be right here—"
Taking a deep breath, the Centaur was about to speak, but his voice abruptly cut off.
His tall body stiffened in place, but behind him, the young man seemed as unperturbed as ever.
"How is it?"
Taking a step forward, the Archpriest still smiled.
"Hecate's student… What did you see?"
Hiss—
Snuffing out the divine spell eye, his brief tone was icy cold.
Yes, they were spellcasters, not mortals who could only observe with their naked eyes. Chironwas unwilling to accept 'reality' prematurely, but that didn't mean everyone was the same.
Even though divine spellcasters didn't pursue the strengthening of soul power like wizards, as one of the most powerful divine spell controllers of the current era, the young man still released his 'eye' not long after entering the underground palace, seeing the secret hidden deep within.
A mass of starlight, long having lost its form, floated in the center of the underground palace; everything that once bound it had long since departed. The pressure of Divinity and Authoritystill remained, but before it, only a thin contract document lay on the table.
The starlight illuminated endless white bones, but the rules of order had already shattered the last resistance of this exhausted God.
Astraeus, the God of Stars, had his divine body directly ground down, transforming into a state similar to eternal slumber.
Even though his innate Divinity continuously provided him with divine power, as long as the wounds from the backlash of the laws hadn't receded, he wouldn't be able to awaken.
Of course, for him, this might precisely be the sleep he longed for day and night… Only for Chiron, who witnessed this scene, it was a heavy hammer that shook his soul.
"True… God…"
The Centaur muttered softly, and beside him, the young man slightly raised his hand, summoning the contract from the table.
The ink was not yet dry; this special ink seemed to have a Life of its own, able to remain as freshly written after a hundred years, making it impossible to discern the specific year.
As for the content, it seemed to contain many clauses, but in essence, the core was concise.
"Cooperative hunting of gods."
"Sharing experimental results."
"Jointly monitoring prisoners."
"Ultimately… exploring the secret of eternal Life."
"Truly a free, equal, and exploratory profession, wouldn't you agree, Chiron?"
Remaining unflustered when a mountain collapses before him, and not blinking an eye when a deer springs up to his left.
Calmly looking at the names signed on this copy of the Devil's Contract, the Archpriest spoke faintly:
"However, it's regrettable that Silvermoon City cannot accommodate such equality… So now, activate the Magic Net, trace the spatial traces here—don't tell me you can't do this."
"And from this moment on, abolish the Clock Tower's control over the Mystery Lock. If similar incidents happen in Silvermoon City from now on, then you, Chiron, will be their accomplice."
Without replying, the Centaur beside him simply complied silently.
And as he invoked the power of the Mystery Lock more deeply, although destruction was far simpler than annihilation, in the nearby void, the shimmering silhouette of a silver portal gradually materialized from nothing, slowly returning to normal.
Watching this scene, several messages were sent out by the young man.
He silently prayed, although he didn't know if he would receive a response, but he still did so… Then, several divine spell lights flashed over his body, and after making all preparations, he stepped through the spatial gate.
"This is a wizard… Perhaps she was right, the Church is still too lenient."
"It's probably too late now, but I still want to see it for myself."
"Without the protection of the Mystery Lock, without the power to resist the shadow of the chronicle of ages… which Tower Master is truly the mastermind behind all of this."
"What do you think, Chiron?"
Despite his words, the young-looking Archpriest had already prepared for a fruitless journey. Because since the other party could achieve this, they must have already planned their escape route.
However, where there's a will, there's a way.
Even the means used to shake off pursuit, their very existence is a clue.
Moreover, what if the other party's methods weren't so effective… Then he would just bring them back and judge their crimes before the Lord.
…
Nafplion, in a well-preserved but desolate city-state.
Runes covered the void.
Under the manipulation of the middle-aged wizard, rare materials ascended into the Sky.
They twisted, deformed, merged, and sublimated under the power of the ritual, finally transforming into a mysterious substance.
The blood essence of numerous divine descendants floated beneath a golden cup, purified by drops of the Spring of Youth, returning to their origin, erasing acquired influences, and reverting to their pure state from the womb.
Gradually, as time passed, a naked human form gradually took shape… It was young and robust, with a strong and perfect physique.
Vigorous Life energy radiated from its body, causing seeds to sprout and withered trees to grow branches.
The overturned cup was righted, and the last sip of the Spring of Youth rippled at the bottom of the cup.
The remaining divine descendant blood essence fell into the cup, dyeing the light green divine water red, and a rich fragrance spread from it.
The unconscious Goddess of Youth, Hebe, lay fainted nearby, her divine artifact held in her hands without her awareness, manipulated by an unseen force.
And waiting in the distance, the old man clutched his chest.
Feeling his increasingly weak Life, he gave his student a final command.
"Come, Erwin, now is the time."
"Life and Death will be exchanged here… This is the greatest miracle of mortals in this century."
"Yes, teacher."
Understanding what he was about to do, the middle-aged man came before the old man.
Hesitating for a moment, he then drew a longsword from the void, burning with black flames and covered in intricate patterns.
[Nine-Ring Wizardry · Sword of Destruction]!
With outstretched arms, the old man met the sword's edge.
In Erwin's hand, this magic sword, shaped by wizardry, unhesitatingly pierced his chest.
The wizardry, born by imitating the power of destruction and Death, instantly ended the vitality in the old man's physical body, even severely damaging his soul.
However, at this moment, the ritual had not ended… So the ritual, built upon the first sacrificial ceremony, treated his Death as a sacrifice, as a tile for the birth of new Life.
His vision went black, and when he next perceived everything outside, the old man's shattered soul had already awakened in the new body.
Opening his eyes, his heart began to beat violently.
Long-lost vitality and vigor surged into his heart with the pulsation of blood. The old man wanted to say something, but at this moment, a strong sense of dizziness assailed him like a shadow.
He knew why; it was the crushing weight of the God of Stars' Divinity… Even if the [Sword of Destruction] shattered his physical body and severely damaged his spirit, as long as his soul wasn't completely annihilated, the power of the mortal world could never strip away this connection, which was like a persistent bone infection.
"The Divinity of Stars… It's still there, as expected."
It wasn't unexpected, after all, the old man knew, this was a wizard.
The stronger power at the same rank compared to combat professions came at the cost of a difficult path to advancement.
In the eyes of human divine descendant Legends, the sublimation of divine blood and the extraction of Divinity were the biggest obstacles to their advancement to demigod. But even though Medea had the confidence to do this easily five hundred years ago, she had been hesitant to act.
Because unlike combat professions, a wizard's independent spirit and will were necessary prerequisites for their advancement, and the Divinity extracted from their own divine blood inevitably carried the influence of the bloodline's origin…
Therefore, Medea, who possessed divine blood, had to spend thousands of years gradually eroding the residual will in her bloodline; while the old man, who had no divine blood, even if he used external forces to extract and erase the God of Stars' influence attached to the Divinity, at the same time as he advanced to demigod, this foreign product, not innate, naturally produced a rejection reaction with him.
Ultimately, it not only failed to prolong his Life, but instead became a heavy burden that oppressed his flesh and soul.
By now, the old man had completed the transformation of his body, but the influence of the God of Stars' Divinity had become even more severe due to his injured soul.
Fortunately, all of this was within expectations… Forcing himself to be spirited, beneath this handsome and perfect body, the old man's nearly shattered soul was very calm.
Since the power of the mortal world couldn't remove this influence, then why don't I become a god?
Even a brief, false moment would be enough to erase Astraeus's lingering presence on him.
Taking a step forward, looking at the Goddess of Youth's lifeless eyes, the old man took the golden cup from her hand.
Clear, translucent, light red liquid rippled in the wine cup, and a rich aroma of wine went straight to the heart.
According to human Legends, on the majestic Mount Olympus, the Goddess of Youth Hebe was the daughter of the Queen and the God-King, and also the divine official who poured wine for the gods at banquets.
Only the most noble gods were qualified to enjoy the wine flowing from the divine artifact golden cup, but now, he, as a mere mortal, received it.
On the ground, the second ritual for shaping Life was still in operation. As a newborn Life, besides Erwin, who presided over the ritual, the Goddess of Youth Hebe was the first Life he saw, and her identity bestowed upon the old man was 'God.'
This was the complete content of [Ritual · Life Alchemy · False God], and also the old man's most perfect masterpiece to date.
In an instant, the wine entered his stomach, and the false identity, under the effect of the ritual and the divine artifact, produced some true power.
And in the old man's soul, threads of starlight were also completely removed at the same time, and the damage previously caused by the [Sword of Destruction] was also repaired.
Rejuvenation, rebirth… Without the influence of Divinity, the wine in the Cup of Youth unreservedly allowed the decaying soul to return to its past, without worrying about further interpenetration with the God of Stars' power.
And in this process, with almost no hindrance, the old man, as a divine descendant, extracted his own Divinity from his body.
This wasn't difficult, at least for him.
And unlike before, the Divinity he extracted at this moment no longer had the influence of a God's will.
Because the bloodlines, mixed with an unknown number of divine bloods, reached a balance in their mutual conflict, and even the power of the 'False God' further refined the Divinity, making it reach a relatively perfect state.
At this moment, the old man knew that as a wizard, he was only one step away from truly and completely achieving 'Divinity self-generation.'
As long as he could clarify his path to godhood, and let it initially form a complete framework, connecting with his own pure Divinity, and finally letting it be stained with his own 'color,' then he would become a true near-God, and even develop a Twelve-Ring Great Wizardry based on his own 'path,' which would be invincible in the human world.
However, he couldn't do this step yet.
"The path to godhood… I'm not yet confident."
"But reaching this point is already enough."
Feeling the vitality of his new body, the old man had no complaints.
"With enough Life, I will complete the rest of the journey myself."
"Now… I can live for at least ten thousand years."
He failed to cross the last step, after all, spellcasters and combat professions were different, and their principles and methods of Divinity self-generation were naturally also different.
So, facing this situation, the old man accepted it gladly.
Moreover, with Hermes as a precedent, since he had escaped the influence of the old days, this last step would probably not be a problem…
"I should leave."
"But before that, I still need to handle the aftermath of this matter… and give a proper 'explanation' to those who come later."
Looking at the city beneath his feet, the old man glanced at his student beside him, then gently slid his finger.
Nafplion had three rituals: one sacrificed to God, one sacrificed to himself.
Now, it was time for the third one.