Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 373 The Demon of Knowledge
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"Hidden Sage... No, the wilderness."

The body of the god collapsed piece by piece, and the extraordinary characteristics and huge metal blocks fell one after another, turning into meteors falling from the sky, with trails of fire and thick smoke. The god who symbolized the laws of physics was dying, and the lights of the world and the roar of gears were weakened at this moment.

Bonois stared blankly at the sky, watching this extremely huge rain of fire falling.

“Lord!” He whispered, “I beg you to rise again in me…”

No one answered.

Behind Him, all the Beyonders in the workshop had similar expressions. They were dazed, terrified, and restless. Their hearts were filled with fear of the death of the object of their faith, and filled with despair that their gods would also die. The craftsmen on the earth trembled silently, staring with tears flowing uncontrollably, feeling that their understanding of the world had changed with the death of God.

"What's going on now?"

A heavy crash was heard from the side, and Hillan, half of his body still burnt black, limped over on crutches.

He looked at Bonova's somewhat panicked expression, raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, then slowly widened his eyes, turned his head in disbelief, and watched side by side with Bonova at the meteor shower falling in the distance with thick smoke and flames.

After a deathly silence, Hillran glanced at the craftsmen around him and asked in a low voice: "What should we do now? Bonova?"

"I do not know."

Bonois muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the distant sky, as if he wanted to see a hole there. He paused for two seconds, his voice was too high, with obvious surprise and panic:

"I have no idea!"

Hillan frowned. His companion looked extremely out of shape and might even lose control due to the collapse of faith. At this time, if he lost an angel, it would be an even more terrible disaster. Therefore, he did not continue to talk to Bonova to prevent him from further collapse. At the same time, the huge black cloud that encompassed the entire Intis surged up again. The huge sound of water rang in everyone's ears. The craftsmen who were immersed in sadness and despair also slowly raised their heads and felt the sea in the sky through the dark clouds.

Hillran immediately turned around and instantly connected his spiritual will with the entire mountain workshop:
"The workshop is closed! All valves are sealed!"

"Functionality reduced to 30 percent, escape pod ready to launch at any time!"

He looked at Bonova, which seemed to have stopped functioning, gritted his teeth, and commanded with the authority of an angel:

"Use the city's drainage system at full capacity! Use whatever capacity we have and gather all nearby residents into the church workshop!"

Immediately, a saint answered: "Yes! Your Highness! All church workshops are now full!"

"very good."

Suddenly, a prayer voice flashed through His mind, and His expression suddenly became somewhat surprised. He shouted to the craftsmen, "Open the side door number three. Some people, go over there and pick up the children sent by the Creator's Church for refuge!"

Under Hillran's control, the lights in the workshop went out row by row, leaving only the wire lights on the skirtings still emitting a faint light. The alloy ceiling above the workshop slowly closed, and some craftsmen who had nothing to do looked up, watching the ceiling gradually close in fear, praying for it to close faster, faster. The small door on the side opened, and the chief priest of the Cathedral of Light squeezed in with a few sleeping children in his disheveled clothes, followed by many "Sun" path extraordinary people who also walked in with babies or young children.

"Your decision is very wise. The workshop can accommodate 5,000 people."

The deacon who received them touched his hat as a salute and said, "There are only about 3,000 staff members now. Time is very tight."

The blond and gray-haired chief priest nodded and said quickly, "We have brought all the children from the orphanage, and some were entrusted to us by believers we met on the road. There are about 200 people in total. Please make sure they survive."

After saying that, the chief priest turned around and called the younger generations behind him, preparing to go out again to rescue some people. The Steam Church's workshop was located on a mountain outside Trier. It took more than three hours to travel back and forth from the city by carriage, and only extraordinary people could travel quickly.

But just as they stood up, the ground suddenly shook violently, and a large amount of roaring sea water poured in from the gap in the ceiling that had not yet completely closed. The deacon of the Steam Church almost subconsciously used extraordinary items to create a square metal shelter to protect the children around him. Then, his arm that was used to support this small shelter was broken under the violent impact of the sea water.

His cry of pain was drowned out by the sound of water and a loud bang, and the ceiling was finally covered tightly, rumbling as it hit the water.

Fortunately, the water in the workshop only reached the ankles of an adult. After the dim room gradually quieted down, several extraordinary people in charge of logistics immediately ran to the warehouse to check the moisture content of the food reserves.

……

"…What are you going to do?"

The god could no longer hear the believers' prayers. His consciousness had been shattered to pieces, and he might die completely within the next ten seconds. At this moment, there was silence in his ears, and only the wind in the wilderness was blowing.

The metal peeled off, the pipes broke, and the broken flesh and blood were exposed under the hard shell of silver and gold.

The God of Steam and Machinery accepted his own death, but he did not seem to realize that he was about to become food. Instead, he asked questions out of curiosity.

To Him, nothing in the world matters anymore.

His connection with the real world has been severed. His followers may have died first, or they may no longer receive an automatic response from his spirit. Death always comes so quietly, as grand and cold as the wind in your ears. After pouring out all the resentment, He calmed down and even had a little expectation - what can I get in return for everything I have?
The Wind of Information gladly answered this question:
"Using the 'Knowledge Emperor' characteristic you collected, I will be promoted again at the moment of becoming a god, and become a dual-path true god."

The sound in the wind was very strange, seeming old and young, male and female. The main tone was that of an old and kind man, and beneath this voice was the voice of a young man, the quick words of a young child, and the soft voice of a woman.

"Then, I will protect your believers, your hard-earned achievements in civilization, and today's world. I will resist the God of Storms and bring respite to your believers."

“That sounds really good.”

The God of Steam and Machinery thought this was not bad. If He voluntarily sacrificed Himself, He could gain the protection of the people of Intis from the Hidden Sage. If He struggled to the death and could not change the Hidden Sage's fusion with Him, He would be hostile to Him and would be unwilling to protect humans.

"Will you take over my church? Will you protect it forever?"

The Hidden Sage paused for a few seconds, then said with a smile: "No, I won't protect them forever."

"Because I will eventually leave here and head to the sea of ​​stars. Our believers will be the best craftsmen and scholars in the universe. They should not always pray to us for knowledge, but use their own control over knowledge and technology to catch up with us."

"Every race, as long as they are willing to seek knowledge, can be our students, and they will also be subject to the same cruel screening."

"If you're not smart enough, you'll be eliminated!"

“If you are not creative, you will be abandoned!”

“The renewal and iteration of civilization and wisdom is the most brutal battlefield. City-states, wars, everything in the world revolves around the development of knowledge. If you fall behind, you will be destroyed. Only the best can stay with us.”

The words of the hidden sage turned into a vast picture in the remaining consciousness of the God of Steam. The universe spread out around them, and the stars flickered like eyes. On countless planets, the fire of civilization was lit one by one. The God of Steam and Machinery saw the earth. He saw that there were three continents on the earth at the same time. In addition to the southern continent and the northern continent, there was a piece of land that was as big as two continents combined.

Before He had time to take a closer look, He saw the lights in Intis light up one by one. The power system that was countless times more perfect than what the God of Steam and Machinery could have imagined was established in an instant, and unimaginable huge amounts of electricity flowed into every resident's home. It was like looking down at the earth below at night. On the entire dark road, only the bright lights in Intis flickered, as if the stars in the sky had fallen to the ground.

"Aren't you eager to see what the current technology will look like?"

The Hidden Sage released the greatest temptation. This was the world imagined by the God of Steam and Machinery after he obtained the right to develop electrical energy. The Western Continent had already begun to use electrical energy on a large scale. All they had to do was copy it and make improvements to attract the attention of this god.

The God of Steam and Machinery gazed deeply at this world that was far beyond His ability and remained silent for a long time.

However, the communication at this moment only occurred in the consciousness, just like the interaction between two pieces of data codes, which was completed in a very short moment. "No."

"The so-called updates and iterations are all lies. You are the best generation and you will always be the best."

"We will never be able to surpass you. We can rely on technological development to continuously strengthen ourselves and improve ourselves, but as long as you come, all our efforts will be in vain for you."

He raised his head and looked at the blurry figure in front of him, who smiled but said nothing. He was wearing a strange layered robe with wide sleeves and long clothes that dragged on the ground. The God of Steam quickly identified that this style was similar to that of the ancient elves to a certain extent, but the details were completely different.

"Your ideas are very intuitive and hit the nail on the head."

"Because that's the way our world works, isn't it?"

The Hidden Sage, or the old will and knowledge wilderness answered like this and admitted it frankly.

——Yes, this is exactly how the world is. Gods exist. Gods are the laws of the world and the pillars of the universe. Life is as insignificant as the sand under our feet. Everything is born because of Gods, and naturally it has meaning because of Gods.

He is different from God. God just does not regard other people's questions as a burden, but He truly loves to communicate with others, loves to answer and reply. The Hidden Sage was influenced by Him, so he also loves to interact with the Mos Ascetic Order. It's a pity that the Uniqueness, who is not smart enough, only learned the crazy indoctrination of knowledge and the response to every request, but did not learn more tactful teachings, forcing the Mos Ascetic Order to read the message but not reply.

"I only have one last question. Leodro claims to be the truth, but is what he controls the truth?"

He was captured by the world created by the Hidden Sage and couldn't help but ask other questions.

"No, no, exhausting all knowledge only yields knowledge, not truth, nor the laws governing the world."

The vague figure of the Hidden Sage seemed to smile. He stretched out his hand toward the God of Steam and Machinery, with his palm facing upwards:
"There are many truths in this world. Some people think it is status, some think it is power, and some think it is money. I don't think they are wrong. God thinks that truth is only Himself, the motto of the Almighty. Foreign God, what truth are you pursuing?"

The God of Steam and Machinery thought for a moment, then walked towards the Hidden Sage. The metal blocks on his body peeled off further, revealing a bloody face.

There wasn't a single piece of intact skin on his face, and the gears in his flesh and blood were rustling and falling, but his eyes were still bright.

"It is the principle of mechanical operation, the ultimate precision, and the technology and knowledge that create everything. I believe that every thing and every living thing is the most precise and perfect machine. At the same time, we are gears and levers, acting as part of a larger world."

“Cells make up plants and animals, plants and animals make up ecosystems, and there are also man-made systems like companies, departments, and churches.”

He approached the Hidden Sage, and gave this mortal enemy who had been fighting with him for thousands of years a look as if he were seeking the truth. He slowly spoke out his thoughts, as if in this last moment of his life, he had found back the enthusiasm and curiosity he once had for the world as a craftsman.

"And the planets are part of the nebula, part of the galaxy, and part of the universe."

"I think if I can, I can rewrite the existing laws of this world and reverse the relationship between them. Why can't humans accommodate the stars? Or explore the existence of the universe itself and think about whether the 'universe' is also part of a larger world."

"This is what I pursue, and it is also the ultimate that I can never explore."

He stretched out his hand, and the two gods, symbolizing knowledge and technology, clasped their hands tightly, and a smile appeared on the face of the Hidden Sage.

"Well said, God of Machinery. The truth I pursue is different from yours, but we are still one and have the same expectations."

"——Then, before this universe ends, after we leave this planet, let's explore the truth of the universe together."

"This is not a dream, nor is it an extravagant wish. It is something we can definitely do!"

……

The tsunami spread rapidly outward with Trier as its center, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Intis was turned into a vast ocean.

Huge chunks of metal fell from the sky and smashed into the sea, causing waves of varying sizes. The scattered extraordinary properties caused the creatures in the seawater to mutate to a certain extent.

“How terrifying…”

The kind-hearted old man with an inconspicuous appearance came out from nowhere and hid on a small platform above the sea level with lingering fear. He watched the world below being destroyed by the sea. The sea water had not yet flooded up, but he could see countless people reaching out from under the water. Before he could grab them, the waves had already carried these people who might not have died yet to who knows where.

Hermes's outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. He sighed and rolled up his sleeves like a truly exhausted old man. He couldn't help but look up at the end of the sky and the sea. Under the dark sky, everything had the color of doomsday.

The whistling wind and thunder sounded together, setting the atmosphere for this horrific war, or massacre.

He felt sorrowful despite himself.

Hermes lowered his head, then he widened his eyes and typed a question mark.

——The water level is dropping rapidly.

The sea water disappeared.

Leodro was just about to clean and seal the wreckage of the God of Steam and Machinery, when suddenly, a certain law between heaven and earth seemed to have changed. He saw that the wreckage that sank to the bottom of the sea, like the remains of an ancient civilization, gradually became digitized and disappeared into the air.

Those humans who had not yet died in the ocean were also digitized at the same moment, and everyone became part of the ocean of data.

An invisible hand threw the data far up in the distance - like countless mud dots falling. They died once, but turned back into humans again, with their appearance, memories, bodies, and even tiny scars intact.

The sea water dropped rapidly, but it was not transferred to other places. Instead, it was transformed according to the laws of chemistry. The oxygen and hydrogen content above Intis suddenly increased to an indescribable level. These gases evaporated quickly and were sent to the northern continent, the sea and further away, preparing to bring heavy rain to other corners of the world.

The sages are no longer hiding, the goblins of knowledge have descended, and countless mysteries are at your fingertips and freely displayed.

When the sea level of Intis dropped to an acceptable height, in front of Hermes' astonished eyes, a human wearing a "flat hat woven from reeds", a "strange short coat without buttons or zippers", and holding a segmented long stick in his hand appeared out of thin air.

The man who suddenly appeared seemed like a phantom, an illusion that was caught inadvertently, but Hermes saw clearly that after the strangely dressed man raised his cane and drew a curve on the ground, a high mountain suddenly rose outside the city of Trier, blocking the approaching water flow, and the ground in the city below was strangely sunken, forming a winding and deep river channel.

He kneaded the ground into mountains and valleys like a sand table, and the sea water in the country actually flowed far away according to his command, turning into a new river in Intis, extending into countless large and small tributaries, changing the topography of Intis.

Then, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh, raised his hat with a smile, and looked up at the sky with lightning and thunder.

"Respected Omniscient One, God of Thunder!"

"I do not wish to be your enemy, and I thank you for killing my enemy. But in order to obtain everything from Him, I also promised Him to protect His country and believers."

He spoke loudly, his voice piercing through the obstructing wind, waves, and rumbling thunder.

"I hope you can put an end to this fight. After all... there is no clear outcome to our fight."

TBC
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Hermes: (study interest is high)
(End of this chapter)