When he first heard the news that Demonkind were extinct, Fei'er Li had frozen for a moment. He had even wanted to knock on his own head, thinking he must be dreaming to receive such good news. Even so, while one major issue was resolved, the deeper problems of Demon King and Evil God could not be solved by the fall of Demonkind alone.
At the root of everything were Evil God and the Abyss. Recently in particular, countless cult groups from the Abyss had begun fleeing outward in a frenzy, like an ant nest that had been burned. Fei'er Li had reason to suspect that the Evil God behind them were stirring again, triggering large-scale activity from the Abyss Church.
That was why he had been running around every day putting out fires. If some place really ended up summoning a true Elder God True Body, it would be a complete disaster. This constant tension had become part of his routine.
"Over the years, I have been chasing these Abyss Church," Fei'er Li added. "Such large-scale movements are very likely connected to the Evil God behind them, or even a Demon King." His voice carried a tired certainty.
"I see. I understand more or less," Lilith replied. Her gaze swept past the two smaller figures nearby who were still setting up a grill, then returned inward as she reflected.
Bow, sword, and magic passed through her thoughts. Magic corresponded to the Crystal, which meant herself. As for Chosen Hero, was it really still necessary now?
She had seen the three marks in that book. In another text, she had read that according to their arrangement, there should be one final mark left, a Saintess associated with the sun. Including herself, three had already gathered together through coincidence, but was it truly just coincidence?
"You are heading to Holy City next to continue your journey, right?" she asked. "To observe the Saintess Selection and the selection of the next religious leader of the Church of Holy Light?" Her tone was casual, but her eyes were observant.
"Yes," Fei'er Li answered. "Opportunities like this are rare, maybe once in a century. It is good for the students to see it, and I am also curious myself." His reply carried a hint of anticipation.
"That is good," Lilith said. "I should be leaving as well. Let us part here. I am very glad to have met you, Fei'er Li. I can call you that directly, right?" She floated up lightly as a spatial gate opened behind her.
Fei'er Li stood up and asked boldly, "Then I should say goodbye too, since we are about to set off. But before that, could I have a way to contact you?" He pulled out a bulky handheld device, a new product developed by someone from Paraten Empire, though he had never had the chance to meet its creator.
"There is no need for that," Lilith replied. "Take this instead. Just use Mental Power or simple imagination, and if I am within range, I will receive it. Of course, others might receive it as well." She tossed over a crystal that was silver-white and clear with a faint chill.
Fei'er Li caught it, still unsure what White Tier truly implied. In the next moment, the crystal wriggled like slime in his hand. As it moved, it directly read the Mental Power he unconsciously emitted and reshaped itself into a small, perfectly square object.
"A phone?" he blurted out. Seeing his reaction, Lilith explained that it was a Magic construct combined with Ancient Steel, which unconsciously read impressions and took shape accordingly. She noted that this form suited him quite well.
"I will be going now," she said lightly. Before she could leave, Luna jumped out excitedly and asked if it was something from Bella and whether she could have one too. After a brief consideration, Lilith agreed and tossed out three more crystals, making sure everyone had one.
With that done, she stepped straight into the Spatial Rift without looking back, heading for another destination. Only after she left did Fei'er Li continue fiddling with the phone in his hand. From the feel to the screen, it was exactly the same as the one in his memories.
"As expected, there is no browsing or searching," he muttered. He then realized there was nothing strange about that and noticed it could still take photos. The contact function seemed limited to directly calling Lilith.
Ancient Steel was something Fei'er Li knew well, an extremely versatile universal metal. He just had not expected it to do something like this. Giving out four pieces at once was an absurd display of wealth, since acquiring even one usually required impossible channels.
"It is time to head toward Holy City," he said to himself. He also reminded himself to be careful, since this was about the time when the burning of Holy City was supposed to happen. Still, it might also be an opportunity to find the lost Saintess and complete the group of four.
Recently, news of the Saintess Selection had been spreading rapidly in the region. Fei'er Li had gathered some information, but he still could not tell who the real Saintess was supposed to be, as each candidate was abstract in their own way. The nearest Cathedral City had a highly publicized Saintess sponsored by merchant groups from Faris Empire.
That candidate had repeatedly displayed miracles of Holy Light, healing suffering caused by the Abyss. However, Fei'er Li found it all fake at a glance, from the stage to the staff, reeking of money. He even joked to himself that the real Saintess might just be some unnoticed member of the Nuns working in a corner.
He reviewed the possible clues recorded in his book again. Recently, many candidate Saintess had gone missing one after another for unknown reasons. Their supporting factions disappeared as well, which was deeply unsettling.
Dozens of Abyss Church had vanished without a trace. What exactly was going on? Elfido, who had served as Pope for nearly a thousand years, had no idea how to placate the sponsors who came asking questions.
If only one or two rivals vanished, it would be worth celebrating. If they disappeared in batches, it was time to worry about who would be next. Given the massive turmoil in the Abyss, Elfido believed he had roughly guessed the truth.
It was a war among gods. That explained why so many branches of the Church of Holy Light had been completely wiped out. Those who worshiped the Crimson God had long since offered their souls to their god.
If a god fell, their followers would naturally perish as well. Another possibility was that an injured god had gone into hiding to recover, reclaiming or severing the souls of its believers along the way. Either way, it produced the same result.
Elfido would never state this truth openly. If the sponsors left, where would his funding come from? So he continued to speak of divine descent and shared faith.
"The day of godly descent is approaching," he said. "As fellow devout believers, I hope you can join me in welcoming the return of the true sun." He spoke gently to his sponsors, including Elfido, who represented several branches of the Church of Holy Light and the forces behind their the Lord.
"But we will not allow it," they replied. "Our demands are simple. We require our the Lord to descend first." The words were firm and left no room for compromise.
"That does not align with what we agreed upon before," Elfido said, narrowing his eyes. "The terms were clear. Why not wait a little longer?" Internally, he was alarmed by the idea of a Crimson God from the Abyss descending before he achieved godhood.
If a true god descended, there would be no place left for him. He knew he was only a pawn, tempted by the promise of ascension. If their goal was achieved early, he would have no share at all.
Both sides understood this. The demand was merely an opening move for negotiation. Seeing this, Elfido relaxed and put on his familiar smile once more.
"My dear friends, let us speak plainly," he said. "This is not yet the time for the true bodies of the gods to enter the city. However, I can prepare the stage in advance." His thin finger traced down to a marked location on the map, one of the Diocese territories within a certain Cathedral City.
"Consider this my apology for refusing," he continued. "Treat it as a gift. Calm yourselves for now, and before the main course, enjoy a small appetizer." A full Diocese and its surrounding region could not host a true descent, but opening a channel for direct consciousness via Clone was feasible.
Within these lowest acceptable limits, an unspoken agreement was reached. Yet what puzzled Elfido was why so many Crimson God were so eager to descend quickly. Even with the sun's return, opening the great gate would not be easy.
So what was driving them to act like this? He could not understand it at all. Perhaps the gods had considerations that mortals simply could not perceive.
"Bla bla bla bla bla…"
"That is roughly what it means."