I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

For the first time ever, Li Lin fell silent.

"Remember to bring me more gold bars next time." Li Lin covered his forehead in anguish; he had miscalculated once again.

“Don’t worry, Chernobog is currently under the protection of Victoria, Casimir, and Letania. As a neutral city-state, we still use red gold as our currency.” Talulah wagged her tail smugly. “If you want anything else, I can bring it over too.”

Seeing that the topic was about to go astray, Nian had to clap his hands to stop it: "Alright, let's discuss the 'Hand of Reconstruction' that Li Lin encountered first... Tell me the details."

A cobalt blue ahoge (cobalt blue hair sticking up) appeared on Li Lin's head, which gradually grew longer and wider, turning into a chat box, where a large chunk of text slowly emerged.

"Since I wasn't the hunter, I accepted a commission and killed a water spirit. They found out and tried to tempt me with 10,000 pounds. I couldn't resist their temptation, and their offer was really good. That's it."

Li Lin is not good at narration.

And he didn't even dare to say that he was having such a good time at Walden Pond pub that he didn't want to leave.

"It might just be a coincidence. What are their goals and objectives?" Nian fiddled with her fingers. She wasn't particularly fond of thinking about things, but Li Lin was truly unreliable to the extreme.

"It's nothing much. Our history was decided by the Divine Stars on the last day of 1999. They don't intend to sit idly by and want to escape from this history. Apparently, there's also an official organization called the Foundation that's hostile to them."

"Sounds a lot like worm pie..."

The year was briefly described as worm pie and worms.

The Worm Faction's name originates from worms, terrifying creatures that exist between death and life. Their power comes from "nothingness" yet can change "something." They are called "non-snake snakes" by the inhabitants of Mansu. They constantly multiply on the corpses of deceased deities, usurping their positions, eroding their authority, and encroaching on their principles.

"You should know that some of the Divine Stars have already passed away."

Before Mansu became what it is today, before the woodlands were plunged into darkness, Mansu had a true supreme ruler, whose name was Jiaoyang (Proud Sun), until the intercalation occurred. The Unburnt God, namely Jiaoyang, forged his own divine forge in broad daylight in his divine kingdom's forging arena, splitting and killing the then supreme ruler of Mansu, Jiaoyang.

The three named beings of the blazing sun became the new Gods of Time: the Crescent Moon, who governs 11:00 AM as the god of revelation; the Setting Sun, who governs the poignant ending at noon; and the Dawn, who governs the pacification of the night at 2:00 PM. Meanwhile, the wounds from the blazing sun's splitting transformed into the God of Destruction, the Wolf of Splitting, who governs 4:00 PM. These four are collectively known as the Four Sons of the Blazing Sun.

When the worms parasitized the corpse of the sun, something terrible happened. They launched a massive invasion of the mortal world and the Mans of the Underworld, attempting to turn all the worlds they entered into nothingness. The Sichens repelled the worms and imprisoned them in the worm exhibition hall in the Mans of the Underworld, where Colonel Sichen was personally in charge.

As for the Worm Faction, they are different from worms. They are called worms simply because they do bad things, complain about the nature of all things all day long, and expect the destruction of the heavens and the "freedom" of all living beings.

It sounds just like the fellow believers.

"In that case, the foundation that is hostile to them is very likely the Flying Bird Faction. Of course, most immortals will not join either side, after all, for them, life is long and there are many things to do."

In contrast to the worm faction are the bird faction, who aspire to rise through the ranks of the Mansu and support the Sichen and Huiguang, talking about "one day when the sun will no longer bleed," similar in nature to the rabbit friends.

Nian rested her chin on her hand: "Perhaps I can sell this information for a good price..." She needed some allies in the Mansu, and this information could get those people to support her.

“Theresa,” Li Lin suddenly spoke, “Go find Theresa Garmier, a living being of the lamp, or perhaps a named one. Her honorific name is [Bardomage]. She should be staying at the Wise Knight's Hut near the Pure White Gate.”

As an important background character in the game Cultist Simulator, Theresa Garmier is a being that can be summoned. She claims to be an immortal, but both her actions in the game and various clues indicate that she is actually a named lamp follower of the Night Watchman, Hitomi Door.

Compared to the other named individuals who don't speak much, Theresa, although she can also speak riddles, can communicate normally, which is a good thing.

Nian nodded: "Bardomie... I understand. I'll go see her when I have the chance."

Whether they are the eternal ones of the lamp or the named ones of the lamp, they are very familiar with the situation in the wilderness, and they know many unknown border trails. It is through this method that those who are enlightened have gained a large number of allies.

She didn't ask Li Lin where he got the information; this was a testament to the trust between Nian and Li Lin.

She pulled an old object from her sleeve. It looked like a rusty metal compass, but it was framed by three interlocking metal rings. As she manipulated it with her hand, a bright flame rippled in the center of the metal sphere.

That year, he gave this celestial sphere to Li Lin.

The moment this wondrous item was acquired, the system's data view began to refresh rapidly.

[Ancient castings]

[A rare artifact with a third-grade casting]

[Characteristic: Transformation. Its core burns eternally, its scales rotate incessantly, its achievements are immeasurable, and its compass points to someone. Align the compass pointer of this wondrous object with the scales, and you will be able to summon the fiery one; the Craftsman of the Year will come to your side from the depths of the void!]

[Special Feature: No Distance. When the Celestial Wheel turns, six hundred stars follow, its radiance reaching far and wide. By aligning the compass pointer of this wondrous object with the scale, one can cross the gates of the world, briefly summoning Nian to your side, or summoning you to her side!]

[Special Feature: Perfection. This item can accomplish something, and something can also accomplish it. Align the compass pointer of this wondrous object with the scale, and you will surely accomplish something you specify. Three attempts remaining!]

[Characteristic: Revolution. This object transforms everything. Centered on it, all things will be gradually changed, either quickly or slowly, either by altering their form or reshaping their essence. As time goes by, the scope of change will also increase.]

[Since you are the designated expert of the year, your special ability: the cost of overhaul has been waived!]

"Heaven has a great furnace, and earth produces five metals"... While this can be used to achieve various successes, no one knows the specific principles behind it.

69 The Second Crossing

“A little gadget I made while working in the forge,” Nian explained. “I thought it could help you.”

Indeed, this is the highest-grade heirloom in Li Lin's possession, and he will not have to pay any price for it.

The higher the level of a legendary artifact, the more obvious its effects and costs become. If Li Lin had not been exempted from the cost by the designation, then when he possessed this level three casting artifact, he would be irreversibly altered by the power of the [Ancient Casting], which could turn his skin into metal or even his internal organs into ashes... What's even more terrifying is that there is no limit to this trend of change.

Given time and without hindrance, it might be able to completely transform an entire continent into metal.

Li Lin put the strange object away and said thank you sincerely.

Given his personality, it would be harder than climbing to heaven for him to say thank you without any embellishment.

“As for judging history…” Nian frowned under the cover of the night fog. “This is not something I can get involved in. It is something that only the thirty Sichen can decide. Even a prominent figure like the Cauldron Master only has the right to express his opinion. I have heard that there is a Silent Bookstore in the mortal world, and their administrator can make suggestions directly to the Sichen.”

"However, if you become an immortal, you can avoid being judged, or you can simply escape to the Mansu."

There are limited seats for the Longevity Cultivators, but it is clear that there is currently one seat for the Blazing Cultivator below the Cauldron Lord.

With someone like himself in the Mansu as Li Lin's helper, at least he could reduce the pressure on Li Lin during the competition... Moreover, Li Lin would not forget that back in Chernobog, he directly called out the name of the White-Day Forge, causing it to cast a glance from the forging grounds to the distant Terra lands, completely destroying the long-lived Kosichie who occupied the North.

In other words, not only himself, but Li Lin was also very likely already being watched by the God of Unburnt.

After resolving the issue of the Hand of Reshaping the Present World, it was Talulah's turn to give her opinion.

“Recently, Letania has been putting a lot of pressure on us. Of course, what they value is not Chernobog, but the knowledge you gave me.” Little Dragon Girl sighed wearily. “For those who established the existing magic system on the continent, this kind of ‘knowledge’ that transcends the form of magic and directly reveals the truth of the world to leverage power has almost driven them crazy.”

In the world of Arknights, Letania is a country with a strong magical atmosphere. The local Originium Arts are highly popular and often combined with music, which has brought prosperity to Letania's musical arts and made Letania more tolerant of Infected people.

Letania was once under the rule of the Witch King. Decades ago, Letania refused to become a vassal state of Gaul and initiated the war against Gaul during the War of the Four Emperors—the Gallo-Letanian War. After the war, Letania seized Gaul's land, technology, and people, but the country was devastated, and the Witch King continued to rule.

Later, a pair of twin princesses defeated the Witch King, and the twin queens became the new rulers of Letania.

“The Twin Empresses, that sounds like one Sichen… no, two Sichen.” Nian’s voice rang out softly.

The Twin Queens possess an unprecedented twin phenomenon; their bodies are connected to each other, like a pair of inseparable conjoined twins. Of course, there are also two Sichen in Mansu who exhibit this appearance.

These are the Twins of the Sea. One is a witch, and the other is a priestess, who govern six o'clock in the morning and six o'clock in the afternoon. It is difficult to say whether the twin queens of Letania in the Ark of the Sun world were influenced by the Twins of the Sea long ago.

“Kazimierz needs infected knights, and Chernobog can use this to train its generals; many officers have already become famous this way. Victoria needs Chernobog to maintain a clear neutrality, and we also need this way to catch our breath. Only Letania has offered the highest price, but I don’t have any secret techniques to exchange right now.”

Talulah adjusted her posture and looked at Nian and Li Lin: "In any case, the minerals and systems on Terra are still valuable. I think we can establish a cross-world exchange, uh, trade... What do you think?"

“I have no objection; such things are not scarce in the training grounds,” Nian replied. “However, the level of this secret technique is too high; you probably won’t be able to bring it back directly once it’s materialized.”

Knowledge is taboo, knowledge is power, knowledge is poison.

Knowledge can bring fear, and it can also lead obsessed apprentices to their doom.

“You can give it to me,” Li Lin said at the opportune moment. “It’s a fool not to take advantage of a bargain.”

Ignoring Li Lin's suicidal intentions, Nian said, "...So I plan to find some relatively low-level secret techniques to pass on to you, which will be safer."

“Even a lower-grade one is fine.” Talulah was quite lenient in this regard. “Anyway, I’ll buy them in bulk, and we can just exchange them here later.”

Even though they once lived on the same land, a transaction is a transaction. There is an old saying in Yan: even brothers should keep clear accounts. When it comes to feelings, money is bound to be involved.

"By the way, I might not be able to contact you guys for a while." Li Lin suddenly spoke up. He had a premonition that the current season was about to pass, and according to the pattern, the system's time travel countdown should have cooled down by now.

"this......"

Talulah was somewhat troubled.

“Don’t worry,” Nian suddenly said. “I asked the Crucible Master before. As long as the world you’re going to can be located, you can still enter the Mansu through dream entry.”

Since Li Lin brought her to Mansu, she would naturally pay attention to this aspect.

"Anyway, I'll give it a try when the time comes." Li Lin is always happy to try things out; in other words, he enjoys courting death relentlessly.

“Well, I’m fine. I’m on my way to Syracuse right now,” the Kingslayer said calmly. “Grandmother needs me to go back.”

"Your grandma?" Li Lin started being sarcastic.

"I don't know why, but I hear a hint of rudeness in your words," the Kingslayer shouted angrily. "Grandmother is what we Syracuse gang call her because she is the highest-ranking and senior member of the gang. It doesn't mean I'm related to her by blood."

"I understand." Li Lin nodded as if he understood, but in fact he didn't understand at all.

"Anyway, in special circumstances I'll contact the Tower... uh, [Fighter] first, and then contact you all online." The Kingslayer sighed, then was surprised to find everyone staring at her.

Why are you all looking at me?

“No, I’m just quite surprised…” Talulah was a little flattered. “After all, this is the first time someone has seriously called me by my codename.”

Nian tilted his head curiously: "Actually, we don't need to call each other by code names yet... After all, the four of us know each other inside and out."

Li Lin was even more direct, laughing loudly as he pointed at the King Killer: "You're so childish, hahahahahaha."

The regicide jumped up in anger and chased after Li Lin, yelling, "You're the least qualified person here to say that!"

......

At 7:00 a.m., a train arrived in Vienna on time.

"Goooooooooo."

The train whistle echoed along the edge of the platform, startling a flock of plump pigeons. Passengers leaving the platform often carelessly discarded food scraps, which were a feast for the pigeons.

The crowd disembarked from the train like a tide. In the third carriage, a petite girl carrying a suitcase squeezed out of the throng. Strangely, neither squeezing out of the crowd nor lifting the suitcase, which was relatively large for her, seemed difficult for her.