Origin Paradise!

Duchess Ash interrupted, "Don't bring up methods like installments, debts, or mortgages. Greed is somewhat human nature, but to be oblivious to one's impending doom is no different from being a fool. That's all I have to say. You can all weigh the consequences yourselves."

In front of the theater ruins, the crowd was arguing and shouting. They even started hurling insults and fighting over the proportion of their contributions. The old man took the lead in forming a temporary "mini-council," taking the opportunity to increase his own influence and successfully complicate the simple issue.

On a long, narrow boulder, Jiang He coiled one hand around a snake, watching the spectacle with great interest.

Because interests were involved, everyone tore off their masks and revealed their true selves: pretentious, greedy, hypocritical, two-faced, sanctimonious, and shameless.

The old priest was quite used to this.

The Ashes Duchess remained expressionless.

It wasn't until after noon, after three stubborn nobles had died, that everyone reached a consensus.

“We are willing to accept this price,” the old man said.

Duchess Ash couldn't help but slap her forehead a few times.

The old priest clapped with a smile. Judging from the result alone, spending most of the day on it was not very decisive; it was basically like watching a show for nothing.

"Then let's get started."

Jiang He got up and went to the ruins of the building.

As he crouched down and touched the ground with two fingers, his inner energy spread out and covered the entire theater, and finally the time loop started.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, everything seemed to turn back time. Countless dust particles gathered from all directions, the broken stone carvings flew up and were reattached to their original bases, the performance stage was raised again, the walls rose from the ground, and the green plants that served as the landscape became lush and verdant.

In the blink of an eye, the theater was reborn.

The power of time left everyone present frozen in place, their faces filled with awe and shock at the unknown.

The Ashes Lady watched everything intently. Even though she had been prepared, she was still incredulous when the miracle actually happened before her eyes.

The elderly nobleman nervously tapped his cane, a glint of greed in his eyes. If inanimate objects could be so easily tempted, how could living people regain their youth?

The old priest raised his hands high, chanting a poem-like hymn, and praising without reservation: "He said, 'Come back,' and the broken tiles regained their edges."

"He said, 'You are young,' and the withered tree was clothed in green again."

"Let the decay be restored, let the lost return."

"He came before the gray rain, riding on a golden ship, to go to a new era."

clang!

Jiang He punched the old priest, knocking him to the ground. This guy still hadn't given up on preaching; he was both incompetent and obsessed. If word got out, he would be in trouble, which would seriously contradict his current plan to develop himself and weaken the forces of all sides.

"If you don't want to live anymore, you can just tell me," Jiang He said in a low voice.

The old priest looked up and replied with a knowing look, "It's just hearsay, nothing to worry about. Nobody will believe it if you tell them, but look at the way these guys look at each other."

Jiang He turned her head and couldn't help but frown.

All the nobles and officers looked at him with awe, and beneath that awe lay a deep-seated desire.

The elderly nobleman paced back and forth for a moment, then mustered his courage and approached, saying with utmost respect, "Sir, is it possible for a person to regain their youth?"

Jiang He did not answer, her expression indifferent.

The answer is roughly yes. The final time ring refreshes the status, and the difference between old and young is slightly less valuable than a sit-up between life and death. The premise is that the target's position must be below the skill level, and in terms of reversing life and death, the soul can only be shattered, not annihilated. No one can do anything about the latter.

As for how much younger one can become, that depends on the user's skill level and energy level.

The nobles and officers were filled with mixed thoughts and became increasingly restless.

Such time reversal signifies the secret to immortality.

Seeing this, the Ashes Duchess had no choice but to step in and take control of the situation.

"Old sir, there's no need for you to have such wild fantasies. If it were truly possible to make someone young again, then I think none of you would ever see Lord Amber. He simply wouldn't appear anywhere outside the Holy City. Besides, you all know better than I whether you are among the people in the entire empire who are eligible."

Upon hearing this, the elderly nobleman's expression darkened.

Everyone was unwilling, but they had to admit that truly top-tier and rare resources must be subject to a corresponding level of control.

"Please don't be late," Duchess Ash reminded them one last time.

……

Just three hours later.

The Holy City of the Empire – San Francisco.

Inside the opulent obsidian palace, a secret letter engraved with abomination crystals was passed through layers of reporting and delivered to the Speaker's direct commissioner.

The commissioner arrived at the end of the main hall and gently knocked on the door of the secret chamber a few times. With a loud bang, the heavy stone door opened, and a thick, dark green gas immediately wafted out. This experimental gas had a nauseating stench.

"Sir, news from Carmel."

A cloaked figure emerged from the secret chamber, casually picked up a barrel of wine outside the door, and chugdled it down for a long time. The strong smell of alcohol completely suppressed the dark green gas. It was more like liquid magma than wine; neither of them was something a human could drink.

The speaker, reeking of alcohol, held the secret letter firmly in his hand.

The commissioner retreated slowly; in the Ash Empire, this speaker wielded more power than the emperor.

"Imperial Abyss Ghosts + Group Abyss Ghosts = Emperor Abyss Ghosts"

"The Cardinal, the Emperor Abyss, the Ninth Angel, the Carmel Legion Commander, it's quite a lively affair."

"How come Felix is ​​so cowardly, like a lizard? Why keep the reverse summoning array as a decoration? It's a demotion in disguise. Transfer him to the Holy City. Investigate him carefully when you have time."

“Human assassins intercepted... Sylvia doesn’t have the ability to initiate spatial teleportation independently, and the timing doesn’t match up. Find the ones who actually took action to quell the unrest, and as for the rewards, let them coordinate it themselves, it’s all the same.”

"The Death Sorcerer... as afraid of death as ever. He's been transferred to the Holy City, but he's not suited for reconstruction work; he's too cowardly."

"Ok?"

The speaker's gaze suddenly paused; a rather young figure appeared in the crystallized image.

The commissioner was very perceptive and immediately explained, "Amber, whose surname is Ash, just like the commoners, is most likely the main force that killed Emperor Abyss and the Cardinal in this attack. Three hours ago, he activated his special ability and successfully restored the destroyed Crimson Theater, which is of great strategic significance."

The speaker nodded, acknowledging his subordinate's nonsense.

"By using spatial abilities to defeat Emperor Yuan Gui, the death of the Carmel Legion Commander cannot be ignored as a suspect. There weren't many people present at the time who had the ability, were in the right state of mind, and had the time."

The commissioner corrected, "It's missing."

The speaker immediately laughed and scolded, "There's no need to skimp on this compensation; just calculate it as a death."

"Yes." The commissioner accepted the order.

"Since Sylvia is willing to enroll him, let's wait and see for now. Remember to have the Eye of Ash provide some financial assistance. If the Extraction Tower is successfully repaired, the matter of Commander Carmel will end here; otherwise, issue an arrest warrant..."

Suddenly, the speaker laughed. "Interesting."

If Amber's purpose in demonstrating value took into account the legion commander's death, then it implies, to some extent, that there is something fishy going on, not just suspicion.

At the same time, this also shows that the enemy is almost certain to repair the Extraction Tower. On the other hand, imprisoning the Ninth Angel and killing the Cardinal will greatly reduce the effectiveness of buying time for their escape.

"From this moment on, stop investigating anything concerning the legion commander. If we find anything, it will be difficult to handle."

"clear."

The speaker also took the opportunity to handle three months' worth of government affairs, and the whole process was very fast.

The commissioner's constant "yes" and "understood" makes having such a discerning superior a nightmare for anyone. He handles government affairs like manipulating an alchemical model, and any inconsistency or discrepancy is glaringly obvious.

Within a few hours, he had downed more than a dozen barrels of strong liquor. The speaker left behind some political business and turned to walk into the secret room without looking back. The real reason he had come out was that the liquor inside had run out.

The specialists were already used to it; they and the executives could handle the rest in a few days, and there was no need to waste the adults' time.

"My lord, the last matter concerns Amber's student rating, which requires your personal decision."

The speaker turned around and stared at the crystal portrait for a moment.

"Of course it's S-class."

The commissioner said with difficulty, "He has not yet formed a contract with the Abyss Ghost, and he does not yet have the bloodline of sin magic."

"What stinking stuff is bloodline?" the Speaker laughed. "All I know is that among alchemists, drunkards are all strong."

The commissioner was taken aback. He had neither discovered that the target was an alchemist nor knew that the other party was a drunkard, yet the Speaker had given an almost certain answer.

Chapter 405 Shadow Sorcerer

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

January 9th, Ash Calendar 130 – Incense Burning Festival.

Upholding the hope of passing on the bloodline of sacrifice, the Incense Burning Festival, as the name suggests, is a festival for burning unknown incense. Today is also the day to pay blood tax.

Since the collapse of the Extraction Tower, the citizens of Carmel thought they would be free for a while. When they saw the tower standing again, there was no resistance or commotion, only a faint sense of death on their faces.

Repairing the extraction tower was exceptionally simple for someone; it was roughly a matter of lifting a finger when going out for a morning stroll after receiving payment, and it wasn't particularly difficult.

At this moment, gold and silver have filled the restored church, and the bodies of fifty thousand fallen demons are piled up like mountains.

Jiang He, with practice makes perfect, skipped the forging of the evil spirit soldiers and went straight to making silver guards.

If 10,000 soldiers with ordinary combat power were deployed to a first-tier bronze world, the impact would be immeasurable. Even in the current special world, it would be equivalent to carrying one-third of the Iron Legion with you.

Seven days was enough for Jiang He to fully master the Howler technique. As for the Abyss Ghost flesh and blood, it naturally came from the nobles of this state. The price to pay was only to repair a few supreme-grade mental image weapons. After a sinner dies, there is a 50% chance that such special weapons will be left behind as family heirlooms.

“The Rock Abyss Demon is considered a Gold-tier creature.” The old priest commented as he observed, “This Abyss Demon is shared by the three surrounding states. It is fed continuously with Abomination Crystals, which cause it to cut off its own flesh. Sometimes, when humans are cruel, even the Abyss Demon has to admit defeat. Judging by the time, this Abyss Demon has been captured for almost twenty years.”

Jiang He remained silent, and focused on strengthening the evil soldiers one by one.

"I'm going to die!"

"I will repay your great kindness and virtue in the next life."

"My spirit, my will, my mind, have been corrupted!"

"My lord, I am not a coward!"

Dark flesh spread across the vicious soldier's body, forming extra connective tissue at the joints, giving the appearance of being covered in armor, making the already ferocious soldier even more grotesque.

"Huh? I don't think I have a brain. Oh well, never mind."

The evil soldier sat up from the operating table, touched his head, and found that there seemed to be nothing wrong.

Jiang He kicked him away with a side kick.

"Next, shut your mouth before you come over."

The second vicious soldier pursed his lips and lay down on the operating table with a tragic expression.

"Waaaaah!"

"Don't make that kind of noise."

Jiang He managed to suppress his agitation and successfully completed the surgery.

The total number of evil soldiers was 10,000, all of whom were silver elites. The latter half of the members were initially somewhat confused, but under the guidance of their predecessors, they quickly became crazy.

When Ah Da, Ah Er, and Ah San also completed their enhancements, the group surgery was completely over. The flesh and blood of the Abyss Demons failed to bring the three evil generals to the peak of strength. The gap between them was far greater than that between ordinary and elite.

The three quietly left the church to continue replacing Felix. Ten thousand guards entered the imperial palace to hold a birthday party and, incidentally, to perform for the core member, Zhuang Ya.

Not long after, the Ashes Duchess strode over.

"It's time to leave. There are a few things I need to inform you both."

"First, Mr. Amber will come with me to the Ash Academy to select suitable Abyssal Ghosts. In view of their strength demonstrated in the attack, the Obsidian Council has prepared an S-rank rating in advance."

"Secondly, the old priest was transferred from Carmel City to Ash Academy to serve as a combat instructor. Finally, Count Felix was promoted to Deputy Minister of Logistics and will depart at a later date."

The old priest glanced at Rorona and Green, frowned, and said, "Does the council suspect that we local strongmen are secretly colluding with the End Society?"

"No?" Duchess Ash asked in return, then said, "If not, then you gold minions must prove your loyalty to the Empire. After such a major incident, you still want to continue managing your territory? Are you planning a rebellion?"

The old priest was speechless. He was very comfortable in Carmel, not only because of the thirty-odd local commanders, but also because of the countless informants among the citizens. He could learn about any disturbance immediately, making it easy for him to escape at any time.

Jiang He wasn't surprised by this. In ancient times, there was a saying that "a general can become a prime minister." When a border general's power reached a certain level, the court would arrange for him to enter the capital and directly take the stage, becoming one of the prime ministers in the central government. He would exchange military power and local stability for honor, protection, wealth, and status. It was a respectable outcome for both sides.

The Ashes Duchess said meaningfully, "If I refuse, this may be the last time I see the priest."

When faced with a life-or-death situation, the old priest immediately raised his hands in surrender.

Jiang He asked, "How do I get there?"

“Of course, we’ll take the train,” Duchess Ash laughed.

Jiang He nodded, but stopped halfway through.

The Ashes Duchess's smile froze inch by inch.