Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
With the support from the Three Gods of Civilization, the Church of the Dark Night, and the Church of the Goddess of the Harvest, Rode built up divine palaces and religions for the God of Space and Exploration all over the country.
With the support of four true gods and the Church of the Dark Night, as well as the silent approval of all the gods, belief in the God of Space and Exploration bloomed and thrived.
Being a Level Five Magic Crystal Warlock with a divine personality, Rode lit the divine fire much sooner than any Level Four Professionals could have.
Followers of the God of Space and Exploration did not have a specific territory to which they belonged. Rather, his believers were mostly professionals and masters who were intrigued by spacecraft.
As for his divine palace, the most obvious feature was the door. Giant, characteristic doors became his symbol. Also, inside every divine palace, a portal existed. The divine palaces of the God of Space and Exploration had the function of connecting continents and distant cities, as well as transporting and storing objects.
Just like how the divine palace of the God of History and Race acted as a library and place for recording and researching past events, or how the divine palace of the God of Fortune and Trade was the holy place for merchants, or how the divine palace of the Dragon God of Time was used for signing contracts, and how the divine palace of the Ruler of Storms provided shelter for adventurers and sailors, his divine palaces did not just serve the function of a meeting place for rituals or worshipping.
Maybe as Rode became a true god, the divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration would gain the power to teleport people, huge cargo, or any other object.
Ever since the Magical Crystal Age, divine palaces had changed with the culture and time. However, all of these were about to be destroyed as Judgement Day approached.
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Judgement Day came closer each day. Rode could even see the outline of Maria’s World from the Astral World Telescope in the wizard tower of Rode’s Bitwall. The remaining time to prevent the collision grew shorter and shorter.
As Judgement Day approached, the chaos inside Maria’s World quieted down. Many ghost wizards and professionals fled to the Kingdom of Death. Demon warlocks died or fell into the abyss.
The Mermaid Kingdom, on the other hand, after much exploration, had found the ancient city of the God of the Sea, Yousar, hidden in the deepest trench, the Abyss of Sakun. However, Yousar had long been destroyed, and there was nothing left but ruin.
Nevertheless, it followed the design of the Capital of Gods. Though it did not possess the ability of levitation, it could sail in the water with a mythical level shield. Also, it had the same internal circulation system as the Capital of Gods. One could live underseas just like on the earth or in the air.
The Mermaid Kingdom, the Hailuga Kingdom, and the Colossus Kingdom had given their all to repair the City of the Sea, Yousar, and migrated many professionals and commoners to the abyss in the sea. They wished to escape Judgement Day through this. Whether or not the plan would work, only fate knew. At least the chance of surviving underwater was much higher than on land.
Top clergy members of churches gradually started their evacuation as planned. They had decided to seek sanctuary in the divine kingdoms of the Star Kingdom.
Bernice, the Goddess of the Harvest, activated her mortal body, her Tree of Life, and used the unique life domain power of the Goddess of the Harvest to assimilate the entire Forest of the Silver Moon. The power of plants gathered, turning the Forest of the Silver Moon into an isolated territory, separated from Maria’s World. The forest became a unique domain, a legendary fairyland, which could only be created by the Goddess of Harvest.
In the outside world, the traces of the Forest of the Silver Moon vanished. Fairies evacuated from cities, towns, and fairy villages until no fairy could be seen on the Yala continent.
The news of the disappearance of a large number of clergy members and top the management of churches, as well as the situation in the Yala continent and Swirl continent, traveled across the entire world instantly. The coming of Judgment Day seemed to have become a reality.
Panic spread across the whole world. Commoners, clergy, saints, and nobles who were left behind now remembered the ludicrous myth passed down through the generations. Not before this very moment had they believed that it was true!
“It’s true?” When everyone heard about the news coming from the distant lands, and that the divine palaces stood empty, all collapsed to the floor and cried those words.
“The end is coming, we are abandoned by the gods! We are abandoned, the world is abandoned by gods!” shouted a mad old man. He held high some newspapers, running through the streets.
“Liars! All of them are liars! They are still trying to cover up the truth now! All gone, they have all escaped and left us behind. We have nowhere to go, and the world is about to perish!” said a gentleman in a suit standing on the stairs of the divine palace, raising his fist with anger.
“We are all dying! Every one of us!” That was the terrifying headline in the newspaper. It seemed that even members of the newspaper agencies had fallen into madness and despair.
Chaos took over the world. At that moment, the Divine Palace of Civilization, the Church of the Dark Night, and the Church of the God of Space and Exploration performed divine rituals together and announced the Oracle, claiming that Judgement Day was not the end and that the gods would save all when Judgement Day came.
The date of the Judgement Day was also revealed. There was less than a month left.
Some chose to accept their own fates, while some looked forward to Judgement Day as their sins were about to be washed away. Some lost themselves in despair, while some believed in the future.
Rode Island, on the Wizard Tower.
A giant door stood on the top level of the tower. It was the symbol of Rode as a god. The entirety of Rode Island had turned into the base of the Church of the God of Space and Exploration by this point. Priests and clergy members could be seen everywhere, as well as many believers in the God of Space and Exploration.
Before this time, believers who sought salvation had never been so faithful, and the Church of the God of Space and Exploration had never developed so fast.
Hundreds of thousands of believers prayed in silence around the wizard tower. The murmuring of prayers seemed to say one name, Rode’s. More and more followers from distant places gathered on the island.
The entire wizard tower seemed to be covered in the light of faith. White, holy, and pure.
Rode stood on the top of the wizard tower in front of the portal. As the power of faith gathered in him, his body became light. Every cell was filled with light. He was at the last step to becoming god, becoming a Level Seven Mythical Being.
A woman in a black robe stood behind Rode. The sullen, gloomy robe seemed holy on her somehow. A wind raven rested on her shoulder.
Black Jack fixed his gaze on Rode. As Rode turned around, he immediately said, “Hey, Rode, my brother! If you die, I’ll miss you!”
Rode twitched his nose and answered right away, “I will not die! I will save this world, become a god, and then become the greatest man of this era!”
Rode looked at Alice as he said those words. He might have sounded confident, but he knew that, once he took this step, he would probably not be able to return. Sacrificing his mythical body to the bitwall and moving Rode’s Bitwall out of its orbit and away from Maria’s World was all that he wanted to accomplish. As for controlling the Half Bitwall and merging it into Maria’s World, he had done his calculations and, based on the low probability of success, no one would ever bet on that happening.
“Alice, we’ve come to this moment, anything you want to say to me?” asked Rode. His body shone as it left the ground. He had become a divine shadow, floating in the air.
Alice fondled the feathers of Black Jack. Black Jack, surprisingly, did not resist but enjoyed it. A goddess was combing his feathers. No one ever received such treatment.
Alice looked to Rode as if she did not see the eagerness in his eyes. Her lips were pressed together, and her usually cold eyes seemed gentle. Her natural sadness and gloom seemed extremely attractive at this moment. “I wish for your successful return!” she said.
Rode was disappointed, as that was not the answer he desired. However, he smiled at her anyway and said, “Most certainly!”
Rode turned around and walked up the stairs to the portal. The portal was activated. The node connected to Rode’s Bitwall was turned on. A giant swirl spun above the wizard tower.
Gods in the Star World looked there as well. All the gods looked at Rode as if they were sending their goodbyes.
Rode seemed to be the younger version of himself. After all these years, he had not changed a single bit. He was still stubborn, taking things too seriously, full of motivation, and never admitting defeat. Time seemed to change everyone, but not Rode.
“I am an ace pilot! Dragon Rider Rooney Elvis was hardly a hero. Only those who can save the world are heroes! When I grow up, I will be a greater hero than him. Theatres will perform my heroic epic and sing my legendary stories!”
Rode seemed to hear his own young, arrogant words now. He raised his head high, and walked into the portal!