Life Game In Other World
Chapter 607: Knowledge and Angel-tier Transcendent Items (Extra Long - , Requesting Monthly Votes)

Chapter 607: Chapter 607: Knowledge and Angel-tier Transcendent Items (Extra Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Li Cheng looked up and saw the vehicle’s ceiling, which had towered like a dome, was now cloaked in darkness, a shadow that seemed to swallow everything.

"What is this?"

Li Cheng turned to He Ao, whose brows faintly sparked with electricity.

"I heard that you have an angelic-level Transcendent artifact?"

He Ao watched Li Cheng.

Previously, during the struggle for the Velora, Moonlight’s Sloane had ambushed Liu Zhengyun to grab the Velora while Li Cheng brought another B-level from the Research Institute to steal from Moonlight’s home in the Tia Empire.

Afterward, He Ao used the Velora to visit the scene and estimated that they were likely after an A-level Transcendent item.

However, for the Research Institute, this was an absolute secret. Even Yang De might not be aware of Li Cheng’s plans.

Moonlight also didn’t publicize the event and even joined with the Research Institute to suppress any leaked details, but those with intent could still deduce the truth from certain clues.

"Indeed, there is,"

Li Cheng lowered his head, grasping the handle of the stirring spoon, looking at He Ao with an invisible force spreading from him, resisting the omnipresent shadows that began to surge from all around the carriage, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"A small matter."

A dark sword hilt emerged from the shadows on the ceiling, followed by a blade as black as the abyss, absorbing all light. The sword, almost invisible, was drawn from the inky shadows, and Li Cheng strained to discern its presence with the naked eye.

The dark, slender sword completely emerged from above and dropped, landing perfectly in He Ao’s outstretched palm.

In that instant, the twisted, terrifying shadows exploded throughout the space, and endless mad chants echoed in the ears of He Ao and Li Cheng.

The shadow-like brilliance spread from the slender sword blade, passing through the clear viewing window, and entered the smooth surface of the lake.

The calm lake surface violently stirred, and in the next second, a large fish leaped from beneath it, its shiny scales quickly turning into tough armor, and sharp fangs began to grow in its large mouth.

He Ao slowly withdrew his hand, holding the dark, slender sword horizontally in front of his chest. His index finger tapped the sword’s guard, and a beam of black shadowy light was drawn out, passing through the invisible carriage window and crossing the body of the fish undergoing changes in midair.

Like an invisible blade, it cleaved through the giant creature,

and bright red blood fell like rain, splattering on the snow-white reflection of the mountains on the lake’s surface.

"We might need to trouble your people to clean this up later."

He Ao smiled at Li Cheng.

That was also why he chose an uninhabited scenic area.

"What is this?"

Li Cheng looked down at the dark, slender sword in He Ao’s hand.

As he gazed at the sword, the nonsensical chanting that echoed in his mind burst forth like a gathering flame, assaulting his consciousness and leaving him momentarily blank.

But quickly, he regained control of his spirit. Having come this far, his mental stability was not something ordinary people could compare with.

"The Mysterious Shadow’s Offspring fused with the sword,"

He Ao spoke calmly, "This is the ’truth’ behind Eren’s great collapse."

In the last Mysterious Shadow’s Descending Ceremony, He Ao had fused all the power of the Mysterious Shadow’s Advent into the Shadowless Sword in his hand.

Though his body was not contaminated, the Shadowless Sword, now bearing the Mysterious Shadow’s power, had become another kind of Transcendent artifact, almost uncontrollable.

This sword had been suppressed by the power of the Velora and sealed within it.

After returning from the Copy World, He Ao had engraved the Control Array he understood from the Copy World onto the sword overnight.

But due to the raging power of the Mysterious Shadow, the stability of the Array on the sword was very poor, needing reinforcement every one or two hours.

And it couldn’t truly control the sword, only able to channel some of the scattered power and suppress most of the restless shadows.

Had Li Cheng entered the Velora before the Control Array was inscribed, he wouldn’t have seen such a normal scene. The entire train would be filled with uncontrollable shadows.

"Mysterious Shadow?"

Li Cheng shifted his gaze from the slender sword in He Ao’s hand, seemingly puzzled as to who He Ao was referring to.

"A Divine Being," He Ao’s tone remained even, "though, you may also call it the Evil God."

"Evil God?"

Li Cheng’s eyes widened slightly, and his pupils contracted.

"Let’s talk about our ’deal’ first."

He Ao placed the contaminated Shadowless Sword on the table, and the power from the Velora began to try to suppress the sword, shrinking its shadowy brilliance somewhat,

"I need you to use the power of that angelic-level Transcendent artifact to ’forge’ this sword, destroying the uncontrollable impurities on it and compressing its core power into the blade. This process might be very dangerous and likely attract the Evil God’s attention, so the forging must be done under my supervision and near this vehicle."

That is to say, the hidden angel-class Transcendent item would be "exposed" before He Ao’s eyes.

"What can we obtain?"

Li Cheng looked at He Ao.

"Knowledge."

He Ao’s tone was calm, "Knowledge about the Transcendent."

Li Cheng’s movement paused as he gazed at He Ao.

He Ao responded with a smile.

Knowledge seemed the simplest yet also the most difficult.

The simplicity lay in the fact that once you knew something, you could easily recount it to others.

But the difficulty was that without clarifying some pivotal points, without understanding some things, it could take an instant or a lifetime, a century, or perhaps never to comprehend.

Therefore, exchanging help for knowledge was a "reasonable" affair, especially in this Transcendent world where knowledge itself represented Transcendent power.

Li Cheng was also eager to learn some knowledge from He Ao’s lips.

The precondition was that the knowledge He Ao provided was "true."

To those previously unaware of this knowledge, until the moment such knowledge was verified, they would not know whether it was true or false.

In other words, trading with knowledge allowed for cheating.

And the assistance Li Cheng provided in stabilizing the thin sword had to be done under the surveillance of "Hao Yi," and Li Cheng had no means of safely leaving a contingency plan in the presence of this unknown entity.

Moreover, the transaction would expose the Research Institute’s angel-class Transcendent item, and if the opponent’s real intention was not to stabilize the thin sword but to seize the angel-class Transcendent item in his hands, he might be sending sheep into the tiger’s mouth.

This was an unfair trade.

The other party could provide him with false knowledge, but he had no effective means to counter the other party’s methods.

A deep silence pervaded for a considerable length of time.

He Ao also knew what Li Cheng was worried about, so he didn’t speak up to urge him. In such a situation, the more anxious he appeared, the more likely he would be perceived as ulterior-minded.

People are not convinced by others, only by themselves.

He Ao turned his head and gazed at the snowy mountains not far outside the window.

This place seemed to be an undeveloped scenic area, located within some primeval forest.

Li Cheng also turned his head to look at the view outside the window. The tranquil and beautiful scenery, reflected in his pupils, seemed like the strings of emotion being soothed, gently plucked.

He seemed to understand why "Hao Yi" had brought him here.

Countless pieces of information about "Hao Yi" scrolled through his mind.

What came next could be called a rational judgement or a gamble, betting that this "mysterious" relic visitor was truly as well-intentioned as he had appeared before.

And for this world heading towards an unpredictable future, sometimes a gamble was necessary.

Li Cheng turned back to He Ao. "I can agree to your request, but I need to prepare a little."

"That is acceptable,"

He Ao nodded slightly.

His hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword, the shadow-covered thin sword slowly merged into the tabletop, then passed through, descending below the surface, integrating with the floor of the Velora.

The pervasive black shadows throughout the carriage began to dissipate slowly, and He Ao’s voice remained steady, "However, I do not have much time to wait."

"It will likely take about a day, I should be able to have it ready by tomorrow afternoon at the latest," Li Cheng said softly.

"That is acceptable," He Ao nodded, "Tomorrow morning, I will leave a conspicuous clue in Rodan for the time and location to meet. You just need to bring the item with you. If the ’forging’ fails eventually, I will still impart the corresponding knowledge to you."

"May I know what specific knowledge it is?" Li Cheng asked softly.

"Knowledge sufficient to match this ’operation,’" He Ao said slowly.

Li Cheng opened his mouth. He had hoped to infer some information from He Ao’s introduction.

After pondering for a moment, he turned and asked,

"You once mentioned ’Divine Beings’ aboard the Velora, transcending angels as Higher Beings. Is this ’transformation’ of Eren city, including the thin sword you just showed me, the work of a ’god’? What exactly is a god? And why would he create this ’transformation’?"

"To descend into this world,"

He Ao looked at Li Cheng, prioritizing the answer to the last question, "the divine being orchestrating this event is named Mysterious Shadow.

"Of course, you’d better not mention this name to anyone below Grade B. Their souls are too fragile and can be easily tainted by the power of the divine beings. Becoming aware of a divine name means that the divine being’s gaze might turn towards you, and those who are watched by divine beings can easily become their servants.

"This time, the person in charge of Moonlight in Allen, Mysterious Explorer Rhodes, has been tainted by the Mysterious Shadow for some unknown reason, subsequently tainting the World Tree’s Puppeteer, and a vast majority of the members of both Moonlight and the World Tree, turning them into servants of the Mysterious Shadow.

"’Divine Beings’ tend to spread their doctrines and corruption. They try to make more people aware of them, to believe in them, to follow their teachings, which often carry elements of extremism and madness.

"Divine beings also do not care about the lives and deaths of humans. Sacrificial Arrays built from lives often please most divine beings, earning them their ’grace.’

"Therefore, the believers of these divine beings often resort to extreme methods, attempting to sacrifice a multitude of lives to please their divine beings and to receive their ’grace.’

"This incident in Eren,"

Li Cheng paused slightly, "was caused by the tainted Rhodes trying to sacrifice lives to obtain grace? Does that mean that those unconscious citizens were actually ’sacrifices’ meant to be sacrificed? They were actually going to die?"

This was consistent with his earlier speculation, only he had previously guessed that the one trying to kill the unconscious citizens was some strange entity from the relics, stronger than angels, not ’divine beings.’

"Strictly speaking, you could understand it that way,"

He Ao nodded. He reached out his hand, lit the lantern on the table with a lighter, and in the next second, the Velora entered a ’tunnel.’ The surrounding environment plunged into darkness once again,

"In fact, this time it’s a rather special type of sacrificial ceremony, for the Advent of the Evil God’s Offspring. Rhodes attempted to bring the Mysterious Shadow’s Offspring into this world, to spread the ’gospel’ of the Mysterious Shadow, to disseminate more faith, to create more sacrifices."

"This ’Mysterious Shadow’, is it a divine being from the relics?"

Li Cheng glanced at the surrounding darkness that seemed to conceal some restlessness, the flickering light casting on his face, and he asked in a low voice, "Are there such powerful entities in the relics?"

"To be precise, perhaps not from the relics. Relics are not special,"

He Ao shook his head, looking up at the sky, "In fact, compared to those divine beings, it is our present world that hasn’t been polluted and where divine beings haven’t ’preached,’ that is special."

Relics and Copy Worlds have some kind of connection; their Transcendent powers and Transcendent beings are almost identical. Even the Transcendent powers that are gradually emerging in the main world are the same.

And every time He Ao interacts with his friends, he can distinctly feel that their powers seem to come from beyond the vastness of time and space.

They are not really in the Copy Worlds or relics.

Perhaps for this universe, madness and transcendence are the essence, and tranquil worlds like the main world are the minority.

Of course, it’s also possible that it’s the exact opposite: the main world is the majority, and it is the Copy Worlds and the relics that are the minority.

"So in our world, because there were no such divine beings to begin with, it’s like an undeveloped land, hence these so-called ’divine beings’ have the desire to descend into this world to ’preach’?"

Li Cheng summarized.

"You could say that."

He Ao nodded his head.

"But if these divine beings truly possess power that transcends understanding," Li Cheng asked slowly, "why don’t they descend into this world themselves?"

"Two reasons,"

He Ao raised two fingers, "Firstly, divine beings themselves need to consume a vast amount of energy to descend, and without enough sacrifices, they are unlikely to choose such a loss-making proposition."

In the knowledge of the Copy World, this is why most divine beings are reluctant to descend in person. Of course, if the relationship is good to a certain extent, divine beings can also come at their own expense, like good friends who are very supportive of He Ao.

"Secondly,"

He Ao continued, "I suspect that for some reason, these divine beings do not have the coordinates to this world, so they can only taint the Transcendents of this world through relics and then use these Transcendents to make sacrifices within the world to summon their powers."

This reason He Ao deduced from the millennia-long peace of the main world.

Even if divine beings are not willing to come at their own expense, sending a bit of power across space is possible.

The many sects of divine beings in the Copy World don’t necessarily mean that as many divine beings have actually descended into the Copy World; the holy texts of the Life Goddess once recorded that the Life Goddess ’enlightened’ the first believers in ’chaos,’ along with a large number of cryptic, seemingly mad ’oracles.’

Creating a group of believers with a power similar to ’oracle’ should be feasible.

This also would save the divine beings the trouble of preaching personally.

However, such a descent of divine power might also be limited.

Divine Beings can bless their faithful believers with ’oracles’ but won’t to ordinary believers or other common people, because faithful believers, with their firm belief, are easier for divine beings to locate and more likely to receive the messages conveyed by divine beings.

And the ritual array used for communicating with divine beings also needs a specific host as the ’coordinate’ for the divine being’s communication.

As He Ao, who is relatively experienced in communicating with divine beings, he knows well one important purpose of the communication array is to provide a living coordinate for divine beings.

This coordinate cannot provide a permanent address; once the array is dismantled, or the host dies, the coordinate disappears, and the power that descended from the divine being loses its support.

But, in any case, this coordinate provides an accurate location for the descent of divine power.

Without such an accurate location, divine beings may not be able to send power accurately.

He Ao suspected that the main world didn’t have such an ’exact location.’

The Divine Beings could send their power here at their own expense, but they needed the precise location of the world receiving their power.

He Ao guessed that each world might have its own ’world coordinates.’

These coordinates should not be like the temporary ones for believers or ritual coordinates that He Ao had previously mentioned, but rather permanent coordinates.

The coordinates were likely to be range coordinates, probably not as precise as ritual coordinates, only allowing the sending of some power, not meant for the actual descent of bodies, offspring, or projections.

Otherwise, He Ao’s friends could have just forcefully descended without the need for He Ao’s specific ritual to locate his position.

However, the initial contamination by the Divine Beings did not need detailed coordinates; they only needed to send out their power and then randomly contaminate people, turning them into believers.

In such a case, even in the main world, devoid of believers, the Divine Beings could use the world’s coordinates to descend powers, develop believers, and then turn the main world into one like the Copy World, filled with various Evil God sects.

But in reality, the main world did not harbor these Evil God sects, with the contamination by the Mysterious Shadow beginning only with those Transcendents who had entered the relics and used the relics to spread the contamination.

Thus, He Ao speculated that the main world’s coordinates might not have been exposed yet, which is why those Evil Gods did not know how to directly send their power to this world, and could only use the contaminated believers in the relics to spread their teachings through sacrifices.

The role of the Mysterious Shadow’s Offspring’s descent might just be to confirm the specific coordinates of this world.

Of course, these were all He Ao’s speculations, one of the logical constructs he had built that best explained the current situation, and He Ao did not know if his conjectures were correct.

So when he narrated it, he added the words ’I suspect.’

And after hearing his explanation, Li Cheng fell into a brief silence.

He Ao’s explanation had opened up some deeper insights into the functioning of the Divine Beings for him, and he understood the potential ’warnings’ implied in He Ao’s words:

Since the main world’s coordinates had not been exposed, the problem might only lie with the Transcendents returning from the relics, whose unaltered appearance might already be contaminated by some Evil God.

"Hearing you mention that the Mysterious Shadow is an ’Evil God’," Li Cheng continued to ask, "is there also a ’Righteous God’?"

"No,"

He Ao shook his head, "At least, up to now, I have not encountered any Divine Being that could be called a ’Righteous God.’"

Li Cheng lifted his head, looking at He Ao.

This statement contained a massive amount of information—it meant that the Mysterious Shadow was not the only Divine Being he had encountered, he had contacted more than one! And from the tone of his voice, it seemed that the number of these Divine Beings might not be a ’small number.’

Suppressing his curiosity about ’Hao Yi’s identity, Li Cheng prepared to ask some more detailed questions.

Doot doot doot—

Just then, a piercing horn sound suddenly rose, followed by a dim glow slowly penetrating the carriage.

He Ao bent down, blew out the lantern, and looked at Li Cheng,

"Well, Mr. Li Cheng, that’s the end of the ’prepaid’ knowledge.

"If you can’t transport those Transcendent materials over soon, you can also make a list of them with specific information and the locations for pick-up, and leave it on the dining table of this restaurant. I’ll come to collect the list around 14:30 this afternoon,"

He smiled, "Looking forward to our next meeting."

The carriage doors abruptly opened.

Li Cheng turned his head to glance outside the window.

The scene outside the window had already changed to the restaurant where he had boarded the train, without him knowing when it happened. He slowly stood up, smiling at He Ao as he took his leave, "Looking forward to our next meeting."

He Ao escorted him to the door of the carriage, then watched him get off.

Li Cheng turned around for a glance at He Ao, watching the seemingly ordinary youth standing by the door disappearing with the giant mechanical beast into the void.

He lifted his wristwatch, checked the time—it was 11:30 noon. This meant they only had three hours to prepare the list of materials.

In fact, because the relics would open tonight, they also needed to finalize the spots and candidates before the opening.

Standing in the street outside the restaurant, the real He Ao turned his gaze away from the moving shadows on the street and looked inside the quiet restaurant.

——

Rodan National Park

Among the tranquil woods, the giant mechanical beast burst out from the void, stopping in front of a cliff face dotted with narrow and deep caves of varying sizes.

He Ao disembarked from the Velora, walking to a cave opening about thirty centimeters in diameter.

Peering into this deep cave, it narrowed further inwardly, impassable for normal people.

And this was where ’Boss’ stored the ’central processor’ brought out from the Relic Tower.

He Ao stared at the cave, donning a pitch-black cloak, and stepped towards the narrow opening.