Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 863 Establishing the Divine Kingdom (4-in-1)

In reality, even if millions of devout believers connect with the divine authority, they can only generate around 10 points of power.

Roy's current high power/spirit values ​​are due to two factors: firstly, his own divine status, and secondly, his past "stealing" in the imaginary space of the Sark people, which allowed him to accumulate a wealth of resources in just a few years.

After that, advancing to true godhood is the normal path for a new god's development.

Moreover, other deities are subject to limitations such as "divine capacity limit" and "self-refinement efficiency," unlike themselves, who, having mastered the [Alchemy Divine Spark], can only focus on rapidly increasing the number of believers.

Roy even had a hunch that he wouldn't encounter any real bottlenecks as long as he developed his value to over 90.

Therefore, there is still a lot of room for growth.

"With the Seven Towers Alliance coordinating and the True God Society helping, achieving this goal is not a problem."

But compared to the ever-accumulating numbers, something else is far more important: establishing a divine kingdom!

"Divine Kingdom..."

What kind of being is this exactly?

Inside the Nehebul Wizard Tower, Freya couldn't help but ask.

"In the past, I only learned from the information that the divine kingdom is not just a simple spiritual space relying on the outer plane, but rather more like a part of the power of the gods themselves."

It is both a fortress of the gods and a resting place for believers.

It transcends the limitations of the physical world; it is the dwelling place of beliefs, the soul, and the will, as well as the anchor of the spirit and the coordinate of faith…

"So far, I know just as much as you do, all from books."

Roy had no clue about the question at the moment, and could only answer in this way.

"But it doesn't matter, you'll understand once it's developed."

Freya said, "The Seven Towers Alliance recently responded, saying that the resources you requested are ready."

"Okay, once everything is ready, I'll start the trial immediately."

Roy said.

……

A few months later.

In the void, near the throne of the gods.

Suddenly, halos of magical arrays appeared around the True God Body.

The runes of will lit up, forming an intricate teleportation array.

Large quantities of ether stones and various precious magical materials subsequently appeared.

These were all materials from the Divine Kingdom that the Seven Towers Alliance had promised to help Roy collect and exchange.

All of Roy's previous battle achievements, along with the magic stones and materials he had accumulated, were finally used to acquire these items.

"Logically speaking, I have accumulated a lot of wealth over the past two or three hundred years."

However, the development of the church in recent years has been quite expensive.

The gains of millions of devout believers are actually the result of investments worth tens of billions.

On average, tens of thousands of magic stones are spent on ordinary people, enough to create a high-level knight or an apprentice of intermediate or higher level.

To protect these believers, a team of over ten thousand pastors must be established, scattered across various countries around the world, and a church organization headed by bishops must also be constructed…

In addition, not all materials meet the current needs, and it is impossible to risk everything.

Ultimately, what truly comes in handy are the event funds and the right materials.

Fortunately, I managed to redeem it in the end…

So far, the Seven Towers Alliance's ability to handle these matters is quite satisfactory.

With everything ready, Roy immediately poured his divine power into the godhead according to the information he had learned, and began to activate its domain and carefully transform it.

At the same time, the essence of the previously obtained Divine Kingdom Root, as well as the large amount of Etherstones provided by the Seven Towers Alliance, was also extracted and integrated into it.

A sacred golden light spread, and amidst the dreamlike and ever-changing phantoms, a magical kingdom filled with alchemy workshops and connected to the secret realm of alchemy was born.

……

"The three foundations of the divine kingdom are spirituality, space, and the power of laws..."

These, combined with my control over the Alchemy Godhead and the application of the 'Spiritual Materialization' ability, are enough to create a small space at the level of a minor plane.

From now on, it will be like a seed planted in the void here.

As my divine power accumulates, it will expand like a balloon, continuously growing larger.

However, the most wondrous aspect of all this seems to be the application of the power of laws.

My will seems to have undergone an invisible transformation, forming a kind of law that aligns with the realm of alchemy.

Now it has detached itself from me and merged into this world in an automatic manner, forming the inherent attributes of the divine kingdom.

It also seemed that, drawn by it, the divine kingdom, and even my own spiritual will, were merging with it…

After the basic framework of the divine kingdom was completed, Roy, sitting on the divine throne, pondered it carefully.

As a result, I vaguely discovered that a will that originally belonged to me and that I could still control had broken free of my body and merged into this world.

This is somewhat like the way the world's will operates, but it is more in line with subjective consciousness and is more flexible and adaptable.

In addition, the functions common to all divine paths, such as connecting believers and gathering divine power, are also manifested.

These functions all rely on the [Alchemy Divine Spark] in his hand to take effect.

The true god, seated on the throne, could clearly feel that it was inside his body, radiating its influence outwards in a way that transcended spatial dimensions.

At the same time, the space of the divine kingdom is also like a protective energy shield, tightly enveloping itself.

In this way, even if an enemy invades, they must first pass through the divine realm before they can truly come into contact with the true divine body and thus seize the divine status.

He is currently only a new god, and his divine kingdom does not have much space, nor does it have enough fanatical believers and supplicants.

If it develops for thousands or tens of thousands of years, the divine kingdom will grow to the level of a small plane, with a large number of demigods and angels, or even gods, enough to overwhelm any invading enemies.

Even a formidable enemy of equal strength will find it difficult to launch an offensive after continuous losses.

This is the ingenious method by which many gods protect themselves in dangerous situations.

Sometimes, whether or not a god's kingdom is well-managed is a matter of life and death for the gods.

Of course, the gods of the wizarding world rely more on the protection of the Vizel plane.

"From this perspective, I also possess the conditions to launch a divine war and erode and annex other gods."

However, that's still too far away for me. The current divine realm is too vast; there aren't any supplicants or heroic spirits yet.

Let's develop it first and fill in the gaps.

Once everything that had been built up had settled down, Roy surveyed his newly created, yet still empty, kingdom and suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.

******
However, Roy was not particularly fond of war by nature.

After he finished building this divine kingdom, the first thing he did was to try to fulfill his divine duty and guide the souls of his believers to his side.

This is a covenant between the gods and the believers.

By believing and making offerings, one entrusts the spiritual energy and soul particles that naturally emanate from the body to this, which is equivalent to depositing a large sum of money.

On the verge of death, one will see the "Kingdom of Heaven" appear and be taken into "Paradise".

The name "Paradise Mountain" comes from this.

A person's soul is composed of many beliefs; the concept of a wandering soul is similar to a campfire.

Each person received a piece of firewood, and then they divided the bonfire among themselves.

And so, the pure, clean, upright, and kind soul returned to heaven.

Selfish, wicked, lewd, and despicable souls go to hell.

All other persistent thoughts and strong desires found their place through some kind of magical connection that transcends time and space.

And thus, worldly experiences, knowledge, and memories are divided up as spiritual resources.

This does not mean that the soul of intelligent life was "torn apart," but rather that it was restored to the state that higher-dimensional beings should have originally been in.

Originally, they were high-dimensional spirits that spanned multiple times and places, projecting numerous incarnations. The only thing that distinguished them from each other was the "longing" and "memory" of relics.

This is a magical state that is difficult to describe in words, but it is the normal state of angels, the Holy Spirit, and supplicants.

Roy has now successfully established his own divine kingdom, and it's time for him to do the same.

Just then, as if by some kind of telepathic connection, he immediately sensed that somewhere far away, in a world controlled by the true god, a devout believer who had converted to his alchemy cult a few years ago was about to die, causing his soul to be exposed.

Since he was new to his priesthood, Roy decided to go there himself to see what was going on.

So he summoned Windsorbell and cast his spiritual power through the portals of God’s Kingdom, which appeared naturally as the laws of His Kingdom operated.

……

The cold snow covered the streets, and middle-aged Faber huddled under the eaves of a shop, his consciousness fading.

In a state between dreaming and waking, he felt his soul being torn apart, with countless fragments flashing through his mind.

That version of myself, burning the midnight oil to study, striving to change my destiny...

That version of myself, staying up all night in the lab, engrossed in research...

That version of myself that was ridiculed for being unrealistic and not doing anything productive...

"My failed life..."

Is this how it ends?

Suddenly, Faber vaguely sensed something.

This is a "scrolling light" of a person's life in the moments before death!
He suddenly felt a surge of sadness for no apparent reason.

Faber's family was once a prominent perfume house in the city, and also had some connections with the mysterious world of magic.

But by his generation, all that remained were a few yellowed parchment scrolls and a dilapidated house.

He stubbornly clung to those obscure and difficult occult knowledge, ambitiously wanting to restore the ancestral secret recipe, but ended up impoverishing himself.

People who know him say he's a foolish madman who doesn't do any proper work and spends all his time daydreaming about bottles and jars.

His wife couldn't stand his stubbornness either, so she eloped with someone and disappeared without a trace.

Faber became even more obsessed after that, trying to turn stones into gold using his family's alchemy, but he failed repeatedly.

All the perfume formulas and ancestral techniques had been sold off by my spendthrift grandfather decades ago, leaving me with absolutely no clue what to do with them.

Recently, after yet another predictable experiment failure, he drank all the alcohol that was originally intended as raw material and got completely drunk.

Snowflakes fell on his white beard, gradually freezing into ice. His eyes, which once held a fervent light, were now just endless emptiness.

"Ridiculous, absurd..."

My failed life...

Hahahaha... Waaah..."

In a daze, he saw two figures emerge from the void.

The figure on the left is an angel dressed in a white robe, holding a wooden staff that resembles a shepherd's cane.

The figure on the right was a terrifying demon, dragging chains and wooden shackles, a sinister smirk playing on his lips.

“Faber Hans-Claude…”

The angel's voice was gentle and kind, like the tolling of church bells, bringing peace of mind.

"You were obsessed with alchemy your whole life, yet you also harbored good intentions and brought blessings to the world..."

A pure and innocent soul rose from Faber's body, and in the void before him appeared the images of his past acts of kindness, such as helping impoverished children.

The god of charity, Karitas, praised your righteous act and specially sent me to guide you…

Thus, those who were altruistic, selfless, and possessed noble and kind souls were guided to the kingdom of the god of charity.

The devil waited quietly for the angel to leave, then sneered, "How can you talk about benefiting the world when you can't even solve your own basic needs?"

That's all the good you've done.

Aside from those few times when I took pity on you and helped you out, you've mostly been a thief, a jealous person, and a violent assaultster..."

Faber was about to defend himself when he found himself unable to make a sound.

In a daze, my consciousness split, like shattered glass falling into different levels of hell.

He saw his younger self squatting in the laboratory, his eyes shining as he recorded his new discoveries.

He saw his middle-aged self kneeling before a nobleman's door, begging for some research funding.

Seeing myself the day before yesterday, being humiliated in the street for a piece of bread.

Each fragment is a life experience and memory, tearing at the soul with different emotions, ripping apart the originally whole self.

Anger and resentment, inferiority and cowardice, and that fleeting thought of stealing...

"Do not……"

Faber gradually became desperate.

The devil licked his lips, seemingly savoring the delicious taste of the soul permeating the air.

An unconscious greed arises, a desire to steal more souls.

But just then, a handsome young man appeared before him with an intelligent priestess.

"Little devil, you've crossed the line. This soul is mine."

"you……"

The devil's eyes widened, and suddenly, his face showed fear and disbelief as he looked at the handsome young man before him.

Are you deaf? Can't you hear what I'm saying?

The handsome young man pulled out a long stick from somewhere and hit him a few times.

The stick seemed to possess a special magic; with each strike, the demon's body would shrink by an inch, and after a few strikes, it had shrunk considerably.

The demon was both shocked and furious, but the boy before him exuded an aura that filled him with dread. That feeling, which made his very soul tremble at just a glance, was something he had only ever experienced from those high and mighty demons.

"Help!"

The devil wailed inwardly and quickly turned and ran away.

******
whispering sound!
Seeing the other person's panicked appearance as they scrambled to their feet, the handsome young man sneered, but didn't pay any more attention to it.

This handsome young man was none other than Roy.

To be precise, it is a level-five fragmented avatar that has already achieved godhood and ascended to the position of "God of Alchemy," a true god body.

During the process of guiding souls, it is common for people to divide up the souls and take the opportunity to gain more benefits that do not belong to them.

But just like Windsorbell, even after going to hell, she was still pulled back by herself when she came to Umbathor.

Ambatol said at the time: "There is no need to argue, the right of interpretation rests with your gods."

At that time, I was just a bully, using my high status to deceive that incarnation from the hellish plane.

But now I understand that the other party deeply understands the principle of letting things take their natural course.

Because all factions and forces in the universe consider the struggle for souls to be fundamental.

There have long been unwritten rules.

Even the Lord of Hell has to respect these rules, so how could ordinary demons dare to be presumptuous in front of him?
"You are……"

Faber's remaining consciousness watched this scene and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"

Roy didn't say much, but simply waved his hand, activating the other's soul with divine power and reflecting the other's true nature through the projection of light and shadow.

Suddenly, a hazy light illuminated the surroundings, and a small child, lying on the bedside, stared wide-eyed as he read a fairy tale book that had appeared out of nowhere.

As Faber watched this scene, his hazy memories seemed to be activated, and he suddenly remembered.

"Ah, it's that book, 'The Amazing Neos'!"

He was about six years old, an age when he was curious about the world, when he unexpectedly came across a fairy tale book called "The Amazing Neos".

It contains a series of stories about "Neo the Alchemist," which, in retrospect, were all introductory knowledge about alchemy.

That book sparked young children's interest in alchemy and chemistry through fairy tales.

Why does a reaction occur when several different materials are poured together and stirred evenly?
Why can the properties of metals change and be shaped into various objects?

Why are there magical potions that can transform a person and allow them to mimic various creatures?
“Pure curiosity and a thirst for knowledge,” Roy said, his gentle voice carrying an indescribable divine quality. “That’s your true nature.”

Suddenly, Faber's appearance changed.

He gradually transformed from a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man back into the appearance of a five-year-old child.

The books I was reading were stretched and deformed, gradually transforming into a stairway to heaven.

Faber stared blankly at the scene, when suddenly, a warm light enveloped him.

The handsome young man stood in front of him and extended his hand: "I am Roy, the god of alchemy. Your persistence and determination have moved me. Would you like to follow me to the realm of alchemists?"

Faber struggled to lift his head, and a tear glistened in his once-unchanging, cloudy middle-aged eyes.

At this moment, she finally reverted to the pure innocence of childhood.

"So you are my god!"
You...you really came to pick me up!

“Come with me.” Roy smiled. “I promise you will forever retain the innocent and pure appearance of a child, I promise you will fulfill your childhood wish of owning your own alchemy workshop, I promise you will be with the gods, able to conduct all kinds of experiments without worry, and enjoy your eternal hobbies…”

There, time stands still, materials are limitless, and you'll never have to worry about making a living again; you can focus on the work you love most.

Faber, now a child, used his last strength to grasp that hand, and a long-lost light rekindled in his eyes.

At that moment, he felt himself floating away from his cold body, stepping onto the steps formed by books, and entering a world filled with dazzling golden light.

……

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

A group of people gathered on the street, pointing and whispering.

"Oh, that poor wretch, he finally froze to death on the street!"

"It seems he was drunk and didn't have time to go home..."

"He was completely naked, what a laughable way to die!"

"I knew this day would come!"

The forensic doctor squatted down beside the body and examined it carefully. After a while, he said to his assistant, "There are no signs of external force on the arms and hands. It is a typical case of terminal hypothermia undressing syndrome."

"It seems we can close the case now, but the deceased was all alone. What should we do?"

The assistant exhaled white breath, took out a small notebook, made a few notes with slightly stiff fingers, and then quickly put it back in his pocket.

Being able to close a case quickly is very beneficial for grassroots staff like them, as it saves them from having to make several trips.

But leaving the body on the street isn't a good idea; someone has to collect it.

"It's alright, he's a believer in a true God."

The forensic pathologist pulled a metal badge from the inner pocket of the corpse's tattered coat. It was engraved with the holy symbol of Roy, the god of alchemy, in the exquisite scales pattern that had recently become popular.

"It's the Alchemy Cult. Just notify the church and have them send someone to handle it."

"That's great." The assistant nodded.

Recently, a new church called the Alchemist Church has been added to their principality. It is a true church recognized by all kingdoms across the continent.

It is said that when it was founded, a miracle occurred, displaying an extraordinary aura.

However, I was working overtime at the time and missed witnessing such a grand occasion.

Since the deceased was a registered believer, the church will be responsible for matters after his death.

The secular kingdoms had already reached an agreement with them, and these matters that should have been the responsibility of the civil affairs department, as well as some social responsibilities of helping the poor and needy, were all assigned to these churches.

Soon after, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Sunlight shone on that pale face with a smile, and the corpse, which should have been horrifying, now appeared unusually peaceful.

……

After that, due to the faith connection between the divine kingdom and the believers, Roy's alchemical kingdom once again accepted a group of believers.

According to their faithfulness to their faith and their various contributions, they were reborn as supplicants like Faber.

However, for the time being, no divine messengers or angels have appeared.

"So, does that mean I'm still all alone?"
No, that's not right either. Windsorbell is already qualified enough to be my messenger, and Atedia's soul is steadfast, so she is destined to be a similar being.

However, they follow my true form, so whether or not they should be stationed in this incarnation's divine kingdom remains to be seen.

If possible, of course, one should stay in the material world as much as possible.

Roy briefly recalled the information he had previously gathered and said thoughtfully.

******
The most important asset a deity possesses is, without a doubt, divinity.

It is the foundation of divinity, divine power, divine office, and so on, through which one ignites the divine fire, ascends the divine throne, and establishes the divine kingdom.

In this process, the divine power that serves as the basic resource is largely an external blessing, originating from the soul energy of believers.

Therefore, believers are very important.

Believers are classified primarily based on the depth of their faith.

The lowest-ranking group, but also the largest in number, is the resource that I now share with the gods of the witch realm in the True God Society.

They are called general believers, or nominal believers.

Such believers contribute very little to God's Kingdom and are not even part of the church system; the benefits they gain both in life and after death are extremely low.

However, the size of the group is always the largest, and even small ones add up to a significant number, which is still not negligible for the gods.

Next are the shallow believers, that is, ordinary believers.

They are usually registered full members of a church, regularly attend religious ceremonies, observe basic precepts, and even regularly donate to the church and participate in organized activities.

This forms the cornerstone of the belief system, and the power of faith it provides is also the basic energy source for maintaining the operation of the divine kingdom.

Grassroots pastors and other clergy members usually emerge from this stratum.

Then there are the devout believers.

Their lives revolve almost entirely around their faith; they deeply understand and practice the teachings of the gods and are willing to make significant sacrifices for their beliefs.

In some countries where the entire population is devout, there is even a theocracy, where doctrine and Hadith are used in place of professional law.

They are the core strength and backbone of the divine power.

Bishops, senior priests, paladins, and other high-ranking officials in the church all come from here.

Going a step further are fanatics, who often exhibit obsessive exclusivity.

Their faith is fervent, unwavering, and steadfast; they are willing to sacrifice themselves or others without hesitation for the glory of their gods.

Many organizations like the Inquisition are controlled by believers of this level.

The above all focus on social class and status in the material world. After a believer dies, their soul will be guided to the Kingdom of God and reborn in a heavenly form or a hell/purgatory/abyss form.

Status and identity depend on the depth of one's faith and contributions to the work of the gods during one's lifetime.

The vast majority of casual believers, shallow believers, and mediocre pious believers who lack contributions will eventually become supplicants, just like Faber before him.

They are the most fundamental components of the divine kingdom, and will lose most of their former personalities and memories, transforming into beings that purely embody the essence of that deity.

For example, the initiator of the God of War will be a warlike warrior, while the initiator of the Goddess of Love will be a beautiful fairy.

As the god of alchemy, Roy's followers are naturally alchemists who are obsessed with alchemy.

Ordinary devout believers, ordinary believers and casual believers who have made outstanding contributions, as well as priests or paladins, are reincarnated servants of God or angels.

They are usually able to retain more self-awareness and pre-death memories, and hold various practical positions in God's Kingdom.

Above that are the Holy Spirits and Heroes.

In their lifetimes, they were outstanding warriors and church elites of the gods, such as paladins, devout priests, or heroic figures who made great contributions to the cause of the gods.

They will retain their complete personality and combat skills, and be given a more powerful celestial form. They are the elite of the divine army and the best of various divine magic carriers.

As for those who go even further, there are high-ranking divine messengers and the elect.

Windsorbell is a high-ranking divine messenger.

A very small number of devout believers or fanatics who have made enormous contributions may be granted the status and power of the elect during their lifetime.

Upon entering the divine realm in the future, one will retain all personality and memories, and will be greatly enhanced.

They are the elite of the elite, responsible for carrying out the most important tasks, and can even act on behalf of the gods to a certain extent.

Popes of many church organizations will receive this honor.

For example, Phromenos!
Why do these differences occur?

Freya asked with a wizard-like question and a hint of curiosity.

"The barrier of the divine kingdom is essentially a filter that prevents souls with different laws and characteristics and from entering the divine domain."

It's not even something I can control on my own; it's inscribed in a higher-level universal law.

Roy now had a deeper understanding of the matter and was able to answer Freya's question perfectly.

"The key is faith."

Only through unwavering faith can the soul be transformed into a form aligned with the Kingdom of God, and only then can knowledge, memory, and experience be preserved.

What would happen if someone were forcibly brought in?

Freya suddenly realized something.

"That will settle into soil, sand, grass and trees, or, according to the characteristics of the abyss and hell, be transformed into lesser demons and inferior demons."

Furthermore, the inorganic parts are all transformed from the fragments of the soul, while the organic, conscious parts are the larger components.

The various planes and worlds are actually composed of this, and their total mass often depends on the number of spiritual units.

The act of guiding souls into the divine kingdom strengthens it, but it also dilutes its concentration; therefore, the purer the better.

"Ah, I see!"

Everything seems to be connected.

Freya suddenly realized.

Based on animism, all things in the world, whether mountains, rocks, plants, trees, or various substances, are essentially composed of the same basic particles as intelligent beings.

The difference lies in the fact that some are in an inert state, while others are in an active state, exhibiting various differences in their material forms.

Therefore, the soul is a kind of material in nature. It is possible to take the souls of believers or those without faith to "build walls" as the cornerstone of the divine kingdom, or to transform them into flowers, trees, or other beings without memories of their previous life or their own personality.

However, at that moment, Freya keenly noticed something else.

"So, deities in the same or similar domains can easily infiltrate a divine realm?"

Roy nodded and said, "That's right, that often means the beginning of a war of the gods!"

The resources that gods need are too singular, especially those gods in the same domain, which makes them more likely to become natural enemies.

The fact that they could invade each other's divine kingdoms further exacerbated the outbreak of this conflict.

Therefore, what I need to guard against in the future are the gods of other pantheons, especially those in the fields of alchemy, forging, and craftsmanship.

No sooner had he finished speaking than news of a gathering came from the True God Society's "mysterious hall."

An urgent intelligence report was sent over.

"The God of Travel in the Realm of Messengers..."

Lord Itter has discovered a new world inhabited by numerous native deities.

Lord Kamurus has decided to conquer that place!

(End of this chapter)