Chapter 5: The Cycle of Order
In the beginning of creation, fire blazed across the void, decreeing existence and nothingness, life and death, light and darkness. The flame, originally 'one', differentiated into other existences, and thus the complex multiverse was born.
From then on, anything—even a mere concept—so long as it had existed and its name was spoken, would be supported by real and tangible power.
For example, there was originally no thunder or rain, no fierce wind or surging waves in this world. But one day, in a certain world, atmospheric friction generated electric fire and water droplets. In another world, pressure fluctuations over the ocean created typhoons and giant waves. Then, at the root of the multiverse, 'Thunder', 'Rain', 'Fierce Wind', and 'Surging Waves' appeared and were recorded. Afterwards, mages could use Arcane Power—a force originating from the beginning of creation—to connect with these concepts, transforming elements and mana into new thunder and rain.
The primordial power of existence was layered and divided, becoming increasingly complex and diverse. This was especially true after the emergence of life. Apart from the various actual natural phenomena, countless 'symbolic forces' also appeared one after another, such as healing, authority, wisdom... These intangible concepts were also supported by power from the source.
Divinity is actually an unexpectedly complex thing. Explaining it would take a long time, so to put it briefly and simply: it is a gateway directly to the source of existence. The holder can use this gateway to draw upon the power represented behind it. However, this power is too pure and easily assimilates the soul of a sentient being—remember, the holder of Divinity is already quite pure themselves to resonate with the source power, making them even more susceptible to assimilation.
Regarding the method of controlling Divinity, the Pope offered two choices.
The first, as Joshua had anticipated, was just as the God of Luck and Despair, Ougena, had said: by constructing two completely different mindsets within oneself, using this decisive method of opposing the Divinity to balance the torrent of source power that could drown the soul.
The second was to use the Divinity to weave a cycle of order.
To put the first method simply, it involves suppressing the power through self-control, using a method of limiting output to shrink the gateway to the source to a level the soul can bear. This method isn't particularly difficult, but it easily leads to a split personality. After all, ordinary people don't have two brains like the two-headed Ouger. If the self-suggestion goes too far, one might truly go mad, or even completely seal the gateway.
The second method is more interesting.
According to the old Pope, the first method is merely a part of the second. The second is the true meaning of 'controlling' Divinity, not suppressing it.
The entire multiverse is constructed from the power of existence. So-called Divinity is merely an incredibly tiny aperture leading to these powers. Yet, such immense forces intertwine, not only avoiding destruction from conflict but actually forming stable, solid universes—this is precisely because they form a cycle of order.
Because power is pure, it is difficult to control. But by using Divinity to construct order, one can master it. Both the Seven Gods of Humanity and the ancient gods did this. Using their own Divinity as a foundation, they wove various doctrines, expounding the order of the world and forming their own unique cycles.
Back in the room the Church had arranged for him in the Central Temple District, Joshua sat on a chair, recalling the words Pope Eagle had spoken to him.
"He recommends the first method more?"
Looking down at his own hand, the warrior murmured to himself: "Might and Justice, Love and Death, Wisdom and Intrigue... These Divinities form the small cycles of order for the Seven Gods themselves, allowing their own logic to be self-consistent, and thus using their own spirit to control this power."
"But for Battle, Destruction, and Slaughter, what kind of cycle should be constructed?"
After pondering for about two seconds, Joshua gave up thinking, closed his eyes, and sat in the chair, pretending to sleep.
If such a complex matter couldn't be figured out now, then worrying about it more in such a short time was useless. His trip to the Abyss of Anos had been exhausting enough; now was the time for rest. He wouldn't trouble himself over such a small matter.
The rooms the Church of the Seven Gods had arranged for Joshua and his group were inside a temple. This temple, named the Hall of Justice, was usually a high-level warehouse for storing Divine Mechanism puppets. However, now was a time of war; most puppets had been deployed, and the original warehouse had been converted into living quarters for the Clergy.
The temple, built of steel and stone, gave a feeling of coolness. In reality, the internal temperature was quite comfortable. Holy Light arrays regulated the indoor temperature to the most suitable level for living beings—this was one of the benefits of Transcendent power. Apart from being exceptionally spacious, the room Joshua and the others occupied had little in the way of decoration or furnishings. After all, it had previously been just a warehouse. Steel racks and ritual arrays for placing Divine Mechanism puppets could still be seen in the corners. Chu Hao was standing there now, the massive Steel Elemental seemingly treating himself as a puppet, standing among the steel racks, looking to be in a good mood.
Not far from Joshua's chair was a large bed. Black was lazily lying on the bed, allowing the Silver-Haired Girl and the Black-Haired Boy to curiously poke her horns and cheeks. On a nearby table were piles of delicious food just delivered, including rare specialties from the Far Sea: Stone Heart Fish roe and green Sacred White Tree fruits.
Unlike Loranda and the others, Joshua and his group were, after all, invited guests. So, after the mission ended, Joshua could rest comfortably for a while. In contrast, the three Church members, shortly after leaving the Ark and receiving treatment, were quickly dispatched to various posts, working hard to handle various matters.
This wasn't unusual. In the parlance of his past life, most Clergy were corporate slaves, and willingly so. Hiring one Clergy member was equivalent to hiring several mercenaries. They would toil day and night for their tasks, never slacking off—provided they were paid enough.
The Divine Mechanism siblings had been on good terms with Black before. The same was true now that the Black Dragon had taken human form, especially for Ying. She was on the bed, poking and prodding Black, touching her everywhere while muttering softly: "This should be the bone spur on the back, right? And this bump is the back armor? How peculiar..."
The Silver-Haired Girl was full of wonder at Black's human form. Previously, she had been the one responsible for cleaning the Half-Dragon's shell. Now with nothing to do, Ying was trying to identify which features on the Dragon Girl's armor corresponded to which parts of her dragon form.
As for this, Black mumbled weakly: "...It tickles. Stop scratching. Don't touch my tail."
Lin, however, wasn't interested. After touching Black's sharp dragon horns, he grew a bit bored, transformed back into his original form, and placed himself on the bed. The massive black battle-axe, over two meters long, pressed the entire mattress down at least ten centimeters, creating a deep indentation.
Ever since the Divine Mechanism siblings were enhanced, they could freely switch between human and weapon forms, and the weapon form could also move. It seemed Lin was annoyed by the Silver-Haired Girl and Black's antics. The huge black axe slowly shifted a distance towards the other side of the bed. With a *riiiip*, the pristine white sheet tore open, creating a large gap.
After playing with Black, whose head was still a bit dizzy from the Brain-Eating Worm, until she fell asleep, Ying turned her head to look at the warrior sitting in the chair with his eyes closed. She asked curiously, "Master, why don't you come rest on the bed?"
"No thanks." Shaking his head, Joshua glanced out of the corner of his eye at the bed, which had been thoroughly messed up, and sighed. "I'd rather sit."
This leisurely period lasted for quite some time. Although Mad Dragons came to harass them every few days, the Five-Colored Dragon Clan never launched a full-scale assault. They seemed to be waiting for the storm on the Far Sea to take shape, then using the typhoon's power to pressure the defensive Divine Arts around the Holy Mountain, seizing the opportunity to attack.
According to the Pope, Joshua had already completed his mission and could abstain from combat entirely, returning to the Empire after the decisive battle between the Church of the Seven Gods and the Mad Dragons. But given the warrior's personality, he naturally couldn't stay idle. Every time Flying Dragons came to harass, he would try to intervene, scaring off wave after wave of Flying Dragons before returning without any kills.
After repeating this several times, even Black had a better record than Joshua. However, once, perhaps because the enemy refused to give up, a few dragons unafraid of the warrior's pressure mixed in with the Flying Dragon swarm, intending to launch a surprise attack and eliminate this major threat. The result, needless to say, was that Joshua reaped a harvest.
That battle was, to be honest, somewhat risky. A few Ultimate-rank Blue Dragon leaders, cooperating with several Gold-rank old dragons, could instantly kill any ordinary Ultimate-rank warrior. Unfortunately, Joshua had already sensed something was wrong from several kilometers away. He played along, then, with the cooperation of several other Church experts, took them all down.
The death of one Ultimate-rank dragon and several Gold-rank dragons was a heavy loss even for the Five-Colored Dragon Clan. After that, the Mad Dragons' harassment became much more cautious. Both sides were waiting for the moment of the final decisive battle, and Joshua had gained considerable prestige among the Clergy of the Holy Mountain.
"Good day, Lord Count."
In the complex and vast underground facilities beneath the Central Temple District, a middle-aged Paladin clad in full-body armor saluted Joshua with a knightly gesture. He said politely, "Are you heading to Warehouse Three? If so, please allow me to guide you."
"I appreciate the trouble." Wearing a special white coat provided by the Church, Joshua nodded slightly and let the man lead the way.
Above ground on Eda Grey Island were various temples and residential areas. But just as all churches on the continent had dungeons beneath them, there was a large underground fortress directly below the Far Sea Holy Mountain. Besides holding some Cultists and disciplined Clergy, it was mostly used as a warehouse and experimental area. It was only activated during wartime to shelter ordinary clergy without combat capabilities.
Joshua hadn't come here for a tour, but to collect his reward.
Whether it was going to the Abyss of Anos or helping the Church of the Seven Gods, the warrior had made many contributions. If one also counted the Anti-Dragon potions the Empire had provided to the Church and the Far South Kingdom, his contributions were even more significant. So, following a certain Archbishop's suggestion, Joshua could go to the Church's collection warehouse and take anything he fancied.
Originally, the warrior was too lazy to bother with such a reward. He was already an Ultimate-rank expert; most magical items in this world were useless to him. However, Lin reminded him that even if he couldn't use them, Joshua could take them back to his territory for others, especially the students of Winterfell Academy.
Led by the middle-aged Paladin, Joshua walked forward along the wide stone path. A few minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse district of the underground fortress. The warrior could see a wide corridor stretching ahead, flanked by countless side passages and huge warehouse doors. Large Glowstone gems were embedded in the ceiling. Under the white light, this place was even brighter than the surface temples, which were covered by overcast skies.
There were many guards patrolling around the warehouses. They all looked calm and confident. The Mad Dragons blocking the sea and besieging the Holy Mountain hadn't caused these Clergy to show the slightest sign of panic or fear, because everyone firmly believed that the Church would undoubtedly win this battle.
This wasn't just blind confidence.
Unlike in his past life, the Church of the Seven Gods, having learned of the Mad Dragon plan early on, had gathered all its elite forces. The elite Clergy roaming the continent hadn't been blocked by the Mad Dragons; they had returned to the Holy Mountain long before the enemy sealed off the sea.
Although the Mad Dragons' power was also stronger than in his past life due to the lack of player interference, comparing the two, the Holy Mountain still held the advantage in basic combat strength.
The guards Joshua saw before him were all at the Silver Peak level. A leader not far away even possessed Gold-rank strength. On the continent, such a person would be the head of a local church or knightly order, but here at the Holy Mountain, they were just ordinary patrol members.
Seeing the warrior's arrival, the guard knights, who had already received word, smiled respectfully at Joshua. They bowed and then opened the warehouse door.