On the Dawn, Bernadette was dressed quite formally, wearing a gorgeous and intricate light purple court gown. At this moment, she was no longer a pirate queen, the leader of a Hidden organization, but a noble princess.
She calmly gazed at the sea ahead, a deep, light purple glinting in her eyes.
Beside her, streams of information surged out of thin air, rapidly converging and reorganizing, outlining Glenn, who wore a black classical Warlock robe and had brown hair and eyes, as well as Bugs Bunny and two Artisan cats accompanying her.
Turning her head to glance at Bernadette, who was expressionless and hadn't looked back, Glenn asked curiously:
"What were you just divining? Will anyone disrupt the upcoming coronation ceremony?"
Bernadette shook her head, her tone calm: "No one will disrupt it. I was just curious about what the future would be like."
As the two conversed, another figure materialized on the deck.
He had long chestnut hair, azure eyes, a tall stature, and handsome features, with a resemblance to Bernadette in his brows and eyes.
This was Roselle the Great's second son, Bernadette's younger brother, Bornova.
Before Bernadette could ask, Bornova spoke directly:
"I plan to move the Steam Church's headquarters here. Will he agree?"
Bernadette didn't answer Bornova's question; instead, she asked:
"How many people from the Steam Church are willing to follow you? How will the transfer of the Church's Sealed Artifacts, material, personnel, and property be resolved?"
Bornova sighed, his voice sounding a little weary as he spoke:
"One-third chose to stay, another one-third left the Church, and the remaining one-third are willing to accept a new identity, follow me to Southern Intis, and continue spreading the Lord's glory."
"All churches in Northern Intis will be retained, but they can only be unowned churches or converted into welfare homes."
"Those who remain can freely convert to the Eternal Blazing Sun, or other deities, but they can no longer call themselves followers of my Lord, nor can they spread the gospel of Steam, and all holy emblems must be destroyed."
"In this matter, both the old government and the Eternal Blazing Sun Church will cooperate with us. Undiscarded Sealed Artifacts will be resealed and brought over together."
"Clergy remaining in Loen, Feysac, and Feynapotter will all be recalled, and then it will be decided whether to re-dispatch personnel for missionary work."
Bernadette nodded lightly, her tone calm: "Just do it. He will agree."
After a pause, she added: "If you encounter problems, you can always ask him for help, or you can also pray directly. They will all provide assistance."
As soon as she finished speaking, a melodious bell suddenly echoed from the sky. Everyone, whether on the sea or in the city, subconsciously looked up.
The clouds in the sky had distorted into a gigantic vortex at some point, appearing dim and profoundly deep, as if connecting to an unknown world.
A colossal shadow emerged from the vortex, growing larger and clearer.
Above the Gray Fog, Klein, who had cast his gaze here by relying on the prayer light spots of Hermit Cattleya, couldn't help but exclaim:
"The Great Emperor actually moved the entire Specter Empire here. This is truly..."
"They are so casually displaying Beyonder powers and miracles in front of ordinary people. They have no intention of concealing information and the existence of the mysterious world. This violates the Seven Gods... Er, well, they are not allied with the Seven Gods and don't need to abide by the alliance."
"With the Spirit World Sorcerer system, Beyonder abilities can indeed be popularized to a certain extent. The upper limit and the difficulty for ordinary people to master knowledge ensure that Spirit World Sorcerers are not too strong, too dangerous, or affect social stability."
"Moreover, how many ordinary people, especially young people, can resist the temptation of Beyonder abilities? They can attract a large number of young people to Southern Intis in a short time, promoting its development here."
"The Hermit Pathway also holds some authority over fate, excelling in prophecy and seeing the future. Was all of this premeditated?"
As he pondered, Klein saw a deep red star light up on the boundless Gray Fog. The ripples it sent out caused the unfolding scene to tremble.
"That Door knocks really loudly," he muttered softly, then immediately extended his spirituality, touching the deep red star and following the connection to cast his gaze down.
After seeing who it was, he pursed his lips in resignation and pulled the other party into this space above the Gray Fog.
Crimson light instantly surged within the palace hall, rapidly collapsing and condensing into a figure, an exact replica of Leyton.
He glanced at Klein at the very top and chuckled: "You haven't consumed the potion yet?"
Klein nodded: "The Sea of Ruins, which evolved from the Sea of Ruins, has undergone an anomaly, becoming difficult to traverse. Moreover, the City of Silver still needs to prepare; they'll send out an exploration team first to scout the outside world."
After a pause, he added: "What are you now? How is it that your aura isn't even at the level of an angel anymore?"
Leyton chuckled, his tone calm:
"This is an avatar formed by stripping off some information and will. My main body remains in the Astral World to sort out information, accommodate the Uniqueness of the Paragon, and at the same time help the Seven Gods—no, the Four Gods—maintain the stability of the Astral World."
"Two of the Seven Gods have fallen, and one has lost their Sequence 0 status. Evernight is busy controlling those two Uniquenesses. The remaining three seem a bit overwhelmed. One of us—Roselle, the True Creator, or I—must remain in the Astral World."
"Why?" Klein asked curiously.
"You'll know once you become a Miracle Invoker."
Leyton replied and then said no more, turning his gaze to the scene unfolding before the mottled long table.
Klein also looked over. In the scene, the exaggerated floating island carrying a city steadily landed on the coastline under Roselle's manipulation, enlarging Lessel by more than double.
In the central square near the sea, everyone watched this scene dumbfounded, forgetting to blink, afraid of missing any part of the spectacle.
They had considered every possible way Roselle the Great might appear, but they never imagined this: directly descending from the sky with an entire city!
Roselle's figure, seated on a dark, high-backed chair, was suddenly reflected in the sky. His voice reached the ears of everyone in Southern Intis:
"My dear citizens, cheer, congratulate! Your Emperor has returned!"
"I am the ruler of Southern Intis, the creator of rules, the shadow of order, the supreme Emperor, Roselle Gustav!"
"From today, I return as the highest executive of Southern Intis and the supreme judge of the tribunal."
"Under my rule, Southern Intis will become a country of freedom, a country of art, a country of knowledge, a country of technology, and a country of the Beyonder and the mysterious."
"Every citizen of Southern Intis has the right to access the mysterious world, the opportunity to become a being from fairy tales, and the qualification to learn knowledge and understand the true nature of this world!"
With every word Roselle spoke, his aura elevated, and his connection with the land beneath his feet, with this nation, deepened.
Having concluded his proclamation, Roselle began to emphatically state the laws he had enacted.
Every word he spoke changed the rules here, integrating the laws he promulgated into the fundamental rules of the world, making Southern Intis his territory and nation in both a mystical and a real sense.
Unbeknownst to them, everyone witnessing this scene was drawn to him, awestruck by the perfected laws, their minds and bodies unable to control themselves, eager to join.
Towering stone pillars rose from the ground of the Specter Empire, forming a circle and constructing a vast, magnificent, and spectacular square.
The color of these stone pillars was predominantly dark, with Roselle's newly promulgated laws inscribed upon them using various different scripts and symbols. Merely looking at them evoked an indescribable sense of solemnity, majesty, and sacredness.
Roselle's true figure silently appeared on the square. He glanced at his projection still maintained in the sky and spoke with a solemn and earnest tone:
"Knowledge is the ladder of progress, the key to advancing civilization. As citizens of Southern Intis, we should pursue knowledge, pursue true principles, explore mysteries, and develop society."
"As your Emperor, the supreme executive and judge of Southern Intis, I declare that the Church of Erudition shall become the mainstream church of Southern Intis, protected and supported by the state."
"Of course, your faith remains free. You can continue to marvel at the preciousness of life, listen to the voice of the night, feel the knowledge and wisdom in books, and sing songs of the soul beneath the cross. But, as citizens of Southern Intis, the heart that seeks true principles should not change."
"Citizens willing to embark on the Pathway of pursuing knowledge and exploring mysteries, please recite with me:
The essence of knowledge, the origin of mysteries, the glory of civilization, the steadfastness of true principles. I shall walk the Pathway of knowledge, explore the true principles of the universe and unknown mysteries. I shall walk with you."
"...I shall walk with you."
Voices, rising and falling in layers, echoed, as if reciting a grand epic. Under the influence of the Black Emperor, this sound drifted with the wind into the high heavens, reaching the Astral World.
Silently, the sky darkened, and star after star emerged, densely packed and dazzling.
These stars scattered pure and clear rays of light, converging into a magnificent light and shadows, seemingly bearing thousands of years of civilization and history, heavy and profound, descending upon the Specter Empire that Roselle had cast down from the sky.
On the gigantic floating island, the ancient and mysterious city that had originally existed rapidly disintegrated, reducing to its most basic particulate structure.