Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 305 Time Theft
"Tick-tock tick-tock..."

When that extremely familiar sound of mechanical operation suddenly rang in his ears, Han Su felt a shiver run through his body.

The sound of mechanical fragments starting up.

How could I possibly hear the sound of mechanical fragments starting up here?

He glanced at his briefcase instinctively, thinking he had accidentally touched it, but quickly realized that activating the mechanical fragments required extreme concentration and could not have been done accidentally.

Moreover, the sound of the mechanical fragments operating did not originate from the box, but rather appeared simultaneously throughout the entire Baila Mountain area, affecting all living organisms in the region through the field.

He quickly took a few steps and looked towards the door.

When one's mental activity is stimulated to its extreme, one can vaguely discern that in the center of the Baila Mountain region, in the central square of Baila Mountain Town, a spiritual thread is being stretched out, pointing towards a mysterious and remote place.

Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for mental power to work over such a long distance, as that would require an extremely high level of mental activity.

But now, it is only through this single spiritual thread that this region has been connected to the mysterious source, as if it were a guide rope that has also transmitted the characteristics of the mysterious source to the Baila Mountain area.

So, is this also a mysterious force that transcends space?
The source is the location of the third mechanical fragment that Wei Lan is currently searching for.
In the instant Han Su's thoughts drifted, Wei Lan was in the sky above an unfamiliar city thousands of miles away.

Upon her return, she didn't pay much attention to the affairs of Qinggang. Instead, she took on the most important task Han Su had given her: to find clues related to the remaining five mechanical fragments based on the five coordinates he had provided.

In the previous life storyline, after Han Su performed the sacrificial ceremony for the nobles, he sensed five coordinates through the vibrations between mechanical fragments.

However, the tremor was only momentary, and Han Su only remembered the approximate details.

Based on coordinates, one can locate a general area, but it is impossible to pinpoint the specific street or even a building.

Now, Wei Lan has come to check out the coordinates closest to Qinggang.

She arrived in the skies above this small city on a private jet from the Queen's organization, ostensibly for a charity performance.

Just as they were pondering how to pinpoint the mechanical fragment through history, rumors, or some other mysterious object, the strange sound of the mechanical fragment operating suddenly rang out at that moment.

As if suddenly shown the way, Wei Lan, who was looking down at the city, was also surprised. Her gaze immediately locked onto a small church on the edge of the town below.

She was absolutely certain that the mechanical fragment was hidden in the small chapel. She immediately turned slightly to the side, raised her hands to form the shape of a camera, took a picture of the chapel, and then stored it in her mental fragment, letting out a soft sigh.

"It's easier than I expected..."

A smile appeared on her face: "Now I can focus on preparing for this performance..."

"However, perhaps we could give Mr. Lu Neng a complimentary ticket to this performance?"

"..."

"..."

"Is this... time being pulled away?"

The immense pressure and acceleration in the Baila Mountain region have forced Han Su to refocus his attention.

Everything happened incredibly fast and abruptly. After the ticking sound, everything began to become strangely dazed, and endless pressure suddenly surged in from all directions.

He tried to move, but found that every step he took felt unusually heavy.

When I try to think, I find that even my own thoughts are like weights being pressed down on them.

The feeling was as if one had been thrown into the deep seabed, with endless seawater pressing down on one's body. But it wasn't just pressing down on one's movements; one's thoughts, spirit, and memories were all suppressed and engulfed by this enormous force.

As he instinctively struggled against the weight of the endless seawater, he suddenly realized that everything around him was speeding up.

The sunlight and shadows outside the door were shifting rapidly, and the mosquitoes and flies in the air looked like black lines.

As far as the eye could see, countless people appeared to be moving at a rapid pace, as if they had pressed the fast-forward button, yet they seemed to have lost consciousness.

At first, Han Su thought he had been hit by some powerful cryptic spell, until he turned his head amidst endless difficulties and saw the clock on the wall next to him.

Only then did I realize that the hands on the clock were spinning like a fan, completing a full rotation in a flash.

Only then did he suddenly realize what this strange sight was.

Time is being pulled away, or rather, it is being accelerated to some extent.

He subconsciously thought of the pocket watch in his suitcase, which had a similar function. However, the function of the pocket watch was to extend his thoughts from a moment to twenty or thirty minutes, while the scene he was experiencing now was exactly the opposite.

He compressed a long period of time into an extremely short period, resulting in an indescribable acceleration.

If you are not fully conscious during this acceleration process, you should be unable to detect anything unusual.

For some unknown reason, I remained conscious and felt a strange sense of panic...

It's like waking up suddenly while getting a CT scan and seeing that huge machine scanning your body.
But thankfully, time passed quickly.

In Han Su's consciousness, everything seemed to be accelerating, and everything around him turned into eerie phantoms. The light outside the window quickly dimmed and then turned into darkness.

The hands of the clock spun round and round, and when they slowed down, it was as if everything had suddenly come to a stop. He looked around and saw that the night was already falling and a bright moon hung in the sky.

"Why is it dark?"

Wu Qi, who had been silent all along, suddenly gasped for breath and abruptly stood up, as if waking up from a nightmare.

Sensing the changes around him, he was filled with vigilance: "Is someone attacking us?"

"No, it's just that it's dark."

Han Su spoke in a low voice, looking away from the clock: "It's already midnight."

"Twelve o'clock?"

Wu Qi's voice was filled with disbelief: "How could this be? It's already midnight in the blink of an eye? Was I knocked unconscious? Or was my consciousness shut down?... What happened to the Copper Script believers? No, is everything fucking over?"

Hearing Wu Qi's surprised tone, Han Su also felt a sense of novelty towards the mysterious power.

I managed to retain my thoughts during this accelerated time process, so I know what happened. But what about Wu Qi's words? Could it be that in a moment of confusion, I went directly from evening to night?

Was the time in between completely stolen?
Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he knew what had happened and whispered, "I should say, it's just the beginning!"

"The gate between reality and illusion has been completed!"

"..."

"That……"

Wu Qi gasped, his voice trembling, "So, did the Bronze Script Church succeed, or was it that old fox...?"

"I don't know, but we should get going."

Han Su picked up his briefcase and said, "If the Bronze Script Church wins, we'll take it from them."

"The old fox has succeeded, so let's take it from him!"

"In any case, it's time for them to see us!"

"..."

"..."

"It's done, it's done!"

In the town square of Baila Mountain, the priests, including Songchai, suddenly awoke from their dazed state of accelerated time and gasped sharply. They staggered back a few steps and were terrified by the scene before them when they opened their eyes again.

The creation of the portal between reality and illusion was something that both terrified and shocked them.

If they could follow the timeline and witness his gradual formation, it would be easier to accept. However, the fact that time seemed to jump around caused them a tremendous shock. Looking at it now, all they could see was that time seemed to have stopped in the entire town. The spiritual power of every believer was being drawn out, layered and intertwined, stimulating an extreme level of activity.

The spiritual connection of all believers forms the field.

As the overall spiritual activity of the field gradually increases, it reaches a certain level and becomes the Chaotic Sea.

However, under normal circumstances, it is extremely difficult and hard to control for the mental activity of the field to increase by even one point. Therefore, a transcendent consciousness like the Mechanical Mother is needed to calculate and guide it so that this chaotic ocean does not get out of control.

But this is only in theory; no one has actually seen it.

At this moment, they all involuntarily looked towards the center of this chaotic ocean, and saw a faint black hole, and a downward staircase formed by various iron objects floating in the air.

They also saw the end of the steps, a huge, tightly closed steel gate that seemed to be laid out in the middle of the chaotic sea, and three circular platforms around the gate.

"The Gate of Illusion and Reality..."

"A gateway between the real and virtual worlds that can connect us to history, and even bring history into the present..."

"It really happened?"

The excitement in their hearts was indescribable. Everyone subconsciously leaned forward, but then immediately pulled back and looked warily at the others.

At this point, all they need to do is knock on the door.

However, only three high priests are qualified to hold this position, but unfortunately, only two high priest positions have been appointed so far.

Professor Philar, despite using such bizarre mechanical fragment abilities to steal time and make the portal between reality and illusion truly appear before our eyes, still managed to provoke dissatisfaction with his actions.

So……

"Gentlemen, I want the position of high priest."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Professor Philar seemed to know what they were thinking and spoke softly, "But I don't intend to take it from you. Haven't you noticed that even though I've taken the position of High Priest, there's still a vacancy left for you?"

"This……"

It took everyone a moment to realize that this was indeed the case.

Of the three chief officiants, one was for the priest Songchai, and another was for the old gentleman from Dingxiang Mansion, so only one was left in front of everyone.

However, with the use of this mechanical fragment, the portal between reality and illusion appeared before them, but the Lilac Mansion was excluded. Now, even if Professor Philar took one of their spots, there was still one place waiting for them...

Of course, this is a bit unfair to Dingxiang Mansion, but at such an important time, who cares?
"I swear by crimson, I will take the life of that heir the moment he appears, thus eliminating any future worries!"

As they came to their senses, a voice suddenly spoke with unwavering resolve, raising its hand to swear an oath.

It is the high priesthood of the mechanical soul.

He knew that if he wanted to take the position of high priest, he would have to kill the successor. However, according to their original plan, they would have dealt with the successor long before the Gate of Reality appeared.

Now that things have changed, there's no time for everyone to find that guy. The only thing they can do is to swear an oath to show their stance and seize the position of chief priest.

Ordinary vows are meaningless.

But swearing an oath in scarlet had a different effect. He pursed his lips and looked at the others.

I wonder if they intend to make the same oath to compete with me.

If it's going to be a robbery, then you have to act immediately!
"Now that things have come to this, what other options are there? I only hope that the three of you, if you acquire any relevant knowledge, will not keep it to yourselves..."

The priest, a pillar of civilization, began to speak, but his voice sounded unusually strained.

Some degree of awe reached its limit before the gate between illusion and reality, leading them to consider the bigger picture; otherwise, a fight might have truly broken out. At this moment, they could only watch as the three tentatively moved forward, heading into the depths of the vortex…

The anomaly occurred at this time.

In Qinggang City, Secretary Chen Gang, number 5, also felt a moment of disorientation when the effects of the mechanical fragments ended, and suddenly sat up straight from his leather chair.

Looking out at the deep night and the city lights, he paused for a moment before hurriedly glancing at the clock on the wall. Then, as if unwilling to believe it, he raised his wristwatch to check.

"time……"

This astonishing fact even made him give a wry smile: "The Bronze Inscription Church actually has such a trick up its sleeve?"

I had made many plans, but faced with this strange situation, I didn't have time to do any of them.

Judging by the timeline, the gate between reality and illusion should have already been built.

He lightly slapped his forehead, picked up the documents that had been prepared on the table and should have been sent out four hours earlier, rang the bell to call his assistant in, and handed them to him.

Faced with his assistant's barrage of questions, he had no desire to explain whatsoever. Only after he was alone in the room did he rise and walk to the French windows, sighing softly.

"There are always unexpected events in plans, but this time the impact is a bit too great..."

"But it's alright..."

"...The executor I chose is quite good!"

"..."

"The gate between reality and illusion has indeed been built..."

In the town square of Bailashan, gazing at the steel gate located deep within the spiritual vortex, even these religious priests could no longer suppress their excitement.

Only by exerting all his strength could he maintain his composure and carefully walk step by step into the depths of the vortex.

Now, nothing can affect their plans, and nothing can stop them from looking back at history.

But above their heads, a somewhat weak voice suddenly rang out.

They stiffened slightly, looked up in disbelief, and saw that it was Miss Anwei who was speaking.

At this moment, she appeared extremely weak, but the expression on her face carried a hint of triumphant excitement and arrogance:
"But who says this door belongs to you?"

"..."

"..."

"How could she..."

The three priests, Songchai, were all momentarily stunned, their expressions showing shock and even a hint of terror.

For the priests, this was like seeing a ghost. Although Anvi endured great pain to help them block the two investigators coming from the direction of the Science Giant when they first started downloading the consciousness of the Machine Mother, which made them feel relieved.

But he also knew very well that once the downloaded consciousness exceeded 50%, Anwei's own consciousness would be completely suppressed, and she would no longer be herself.

Now, it's far more than 50%; the consciousness download is already complete. How could she possibly say something like that?
"what have you done?"

Another person who sensed something was wrong, but whose thoughts were completely different, was Professor Philar. He didn't believe Anvi from the beginning, nor did he believe how perfect the arrangements of the Songchai priest were. The reason he was willing to gamble on this plan was purely because he believed in the mechanical fragments.

But the more this is the case, the stranger it becomes.

I intuitively sensed that something was wrong, but I didn't understand how it happened.

Even though the mechanical fragments had already been activated, Anwei had no time to execute any of his ideas during the process.

"I want the entire An family's assets, a seat in the Qinggang Council, a promise from the nobles, and of course, the assets of your Bronze Church, all the credit for eliminating the Bronze Church, and..."

"...The Gate of Reality and Illusion!"

(End of this chapter)