The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Oh my! Grandpa, it's been so long! I can't believe I'm running into you personally leading the project, hahaha. Looks like we're in luck today. It's the branches of the Tree of Destiny that have guided us to meet."

"Ah...? Hahahaha, hello there."

The old professor was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with a smile as he greeted him.

The two hugged and exchanged familiar greetings before going their separate ways.

"Is that also your friend, Mr. Elon?"

Seeing the other person return, Li Cheng asked curiously.

Elon smiled and pulled a teacher's certificate from his sleeve. "Let me see. Smolder Melodien. What a coincidence, from the Grand Duke of the North."

"But I don't know him. This kind of senile old man who specifically hires young female trainees as assistants is taking bribes every day. He probably can't even remember how many 'friends' he has."

Chapter 165 The Deep Space

To be honest, only the Aslans themselves truly understand the social customs here.

However, Li Cheng dared not agree casually and simply followed along silently.

After obtaining the teacher's certificate, Elon cleverly did not return through the main gate, but instead led Li Cheng around to the less crowded guard post located at the east side gate.

After the guards verified the authenticity of each person's credentials, they let the three people in. As long as the age and gender on the credentials were not too different from the person's, they wouldn't make a big deal out of it. After all, there was no facial recognition here, so they couldn't verify the specific person.

"Please come in, Professor."

After some twists and turns, the three of them finally entered the research institute. A rat also quietly poked its head out from Li Cheng's collar, taking in the scene before it.

The headquarters of the Imperial Research Institute is a low-rise, rectangular building, lying flat on the ground like a white marble slab, with a spire tower at the back adorned with a huge clock.

Its central gate is in the style of a European palace, with two rows of exquisitely carved stone pillars supporting a deep purple roof.

Outside the gate, a spacious courtyard was surrounded by a lush flowerbed, where several carriages belonging to the scholars from the principality that Ella had seen earlier were parked.

The three of them swaggered into the research institute and entered a large circular hall.

It was much more lively inside than outside. Many scholars dressed similarly to them were walking around the hall, as were students carrying stacks of books and alchemists with a row of potion bottles at their waists.

However, no scholars from the principality were seen in the crowd. There were still some differences in appearance between the Tedeh and the Aslans, which were not difficult to detect in theory.

"There isn't a single person from the duchy. Could they have gathered in some secluded location?"

Li Cheng pondered for a moment, "Grandpa, are there any hidden rooms in the research institute?"

“I didn’t have that back then. Even when the Empire conducted some very secret arcane experiments, they usually only used rooms in the upper-level secure area.”

Elon recalled carefully, "We can go upstairs and take a look first."

The research institute is also divided into areas, with each level of secrecy increasing as you go up.

Elon Shun's old professor also had a high level of credentials, after all, he was still associated with the "Melodien family" at his age, and could move around the institute almost without any hindrance.

Even so, after wandering around the huge research institute until evening, they still couldn't find the research area responsible for the upgrade project.

They didn't even encounter a single scholar from the principality on their way, let alone in the research area.

“This is not right.”

Back in the third-floor lounge, Li Cheng and Elon discussed, "The Holy Maiden gave me these instructions, and the scholars' carriages are parked outside. We shouldn't have gone the wrong way."

"Could there be some kind of hidden underground passage? I remember those Dark Shepherds really like digging holes, maybe they're hiding down there."

"I considered this possibility when I was looking on the first floor."

Elon spread out one hand, and several pale green ripples gathered in his palm. "But I specifically explored the area with earth magic. There are a few small cavities underground that look like warehouses, but they are at most basements and far from being large enough to serve as a large laboratory."

Even the Earth Sword Saint said so, so the investigation results should be true. When it comes to earth magic, no one present, including Ella who is watching the operation from a distance, is more professional than him.

Li Cheng grabbed his hair, but where could those scholars from the principality hide if this was the case?

This is also a question that Ella is pondering, but unlike Li Cheng, she has some recollection of this strange situation.

I've encountered something similar before, in Greygold Town in the Howling Mountains.

During the period of the Five Princes' struggle for the throne, the Life Cult, which was being established by the Company and the Dark Shepherd, was hiding in Gray Gold Town. However, it was not the Gray Gold Town of the present world, but a parallel space that resembled a divine kingdom.

Ella vaguely remembered that they used the divine power left in the Tomb of Life to create that strange space. The entire Tomb of Life was like an iceberg at sea, with only a small part exposed in the real world and the vast majority hidden in that strange space.

It is now known that the company and the Dark Shepherds have control of five tombs. The sixth tomb they want to acquire is located in Loren, while the seventh tomb has not yet appeared. However, in any case, with the divine power extracted from the five tombs and the technology they have already successfully tested, it should not be difficult to create a similar space.

The next question is how to find the entrance to that space.

Ella leaned back on the throne, deep in thought. Last time, it was Zhu Jun, the head of the Life Research Department, who brought Ye Xiao in, but this time there was no such kind person.

However, since she replicated Lucyville's divine authority, she has gained some understanding of the laws of space, so perhaps she could give it a try.

So, on Li Cheng's side, he saw the fat rat jump out of its collar, roll onto the table like a badminton shuttlecock, and spread its two little paws as if gesturing something.

"Oh my god, look! The Holy Maiden is about to appear!"

Li Cheng's words almost made Ella lose her composure.

She controlled the rat to glare fiercely at the blockhead before continuing her work.

Although remote perception using a rat as a puppet is certainly not as effective as the real person being present, this rat is a species that has been completely corrupted by divine power, and in a sense, it can be considered an extension of Ella's tentacles.

Therefore, after its pale pink claws stirred up the laws of space, subtle ripples spread outwards.

Although they were in a common lounge, Li Cheng deliberately chose a secluded corner at the end of the corridor, so that the slight noise would not be noticed by the entire floor.

The mouse's two paws rose and fell like waves, like a drunken musician, slowly peeling away the layers of space in front of it, like the outer skin of an onion.

In Ella's perception, countless dimensions seemed to weave through the gaps in the space that had been opened up.

Most of them are spaces that exist but are not real, like an infinite stack of papers. The real one is a drawing, while most of the others are just meaningless drafts.

As Ella delved deeper into her senses, she saw strange, illogical things: an endless ocean, a maze-like basement covered in dung-colored wallpaper, a tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever, or a town that appeared deserted yet haunted by eerie shadows...

"What are all these messy spaces?" Ella frowned slightly.

At this rate, when will we ever find a hiding place for the scholars of the principality...?

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed a strangely familiar fluctuation.

More accurately, it wasn't that she noticed it, but rather that the fluctuation seemed like an invisible hand traversing countless spaces, drawing her in.

...is the god of life.

Ella almost burst into tears. Even now, the remnant soul of that cheap god father still had the will to guide her.

Like a lighthouse in the darkness, Ella's senses traversed countless complex spaces and found that special hiding place.

In the real world, Elon and the others saw the rat suddenly open its two claws, tearing a dark rift in space.

Chapter 166 Hub Town

As the three stepped into the crevice, they immediately felt a chill rush towards them.

On the other side of the door was a room exactly like the lounge they had been in before, at least the layout was exactly the same, only the lighting was much dimmer.

It's a bright afternoon in the real world, but here it's a deep, dark night.

"Can you see outside?"

The usually taciturn Kui Zi Ge rarely spoke; he stood to the side, pulling back the curtains with one hand.

Li Cheng leaned closer in surprise, his gaze following the gap in the curtains to look outside.

"What the hell is this...?"

Outside the window, the once vibrant and fragrant academy buildings in front of the research institute are gone, replaced by a giant cave on the ground that covers almost the entire academy.

The cave was clearly not a human creation; its edges were neat, even smooth, as if a giant god had drawn a large circle on the earth with the most precise compass, vertical and deep, seemingly leading straight to an abyss with no bottom in sight.

Outside the cave entrance, the ground is covered with temporary tents, which look like mushrooms from a distance. Below, along the cave walls, are layers of brass-made artificial walkways that extend deeper into the cave.

There are elevators that go up and down between the plank roads. Countless scholars and craftsmen, like ants, are moving around and exploring among them, some carrying ancient books and others carrying alchemical instruments.

As the gaze leaves the cave and falls upon the distant horizon, it no longer reveals the cityscape of Leonia with its towering spires, but rather a curtain of stars hanging in the sky.

Why can it be identified as a curtain? Because the starry sky on it shines but presents an eerie stillness, as if it were just a simple stage play backdrop. If you look up, you can even see a clear boundary between the curtain and the dark sky.

It's as if this space is just a huge and detailed sandbox, with the buildings inside being miniature props, and the people moving around being tiny insects on the sandbox.

Despite its vast and expansive view, it somehow evokes a strange sense of confinement.

And in the sky above, amidst the swirling dark clouds, a gigantic, blood-red eyeball replaced the full moon, hanging high above.

Those deep red eyes resembled the eyes in the heavens of Ella's kingdom, yet they were somewhat different. The eyes in the kingdom were only the size of the moon in the night and extremely far away, hanging in the sky like a mirage, ethereal and unattainable.

This eyeball is enormous, almost occupying half of the sky, and the extreme sense of oppression it brings is like a huge planet about to fall to the ground. Just one glance at it makes people feel infinitely small and fearful.

It was as if a colossal entity outside this sandbox had concealed its form in the darkness, leaving only one eye gazing at this limited space.

Upon accidentally catching a glimpse of the giant eyeball in the sky, Li Cheng's hand trembled involuntarily, and he immediately drew the curtains.

For some reason, he had a premonition that if he opened the curtains a little wider, those seemingly vast eyes would notice the commotion here.

"That thing in the sky is really uncomfortable."

He muttered to himself, even though there were only the three of them in the lounge and no one was in the hallway outside, he still felt like he was being secretly watched and dared not speak loudly.

"Gods above, I have lived for over two hundred years and have never seen such a strange thing."

Even Elon was astonished and swallowed hard. "What a blasphemous monster!"

"The scholars of the principality are gathered in the caves on the ground; that must be the center of the plan."

Li Cheng leaned against the wall, rubbing his chin. "But we'll probably have to figure out a way to avoid the gaze of those eyes in the sky first."

"squeak"

As they were talking, a mouse climbed onto Li Cheng's shoulder.

"Oh, the Saintess's familiar has come along too."

Li Cheng casually patted the rat's head.

Did the Holy Maiden say anything?

Elon asked.

Although it was strange, Elon knew that the believers under the saint's command could easily communicate with their own god from a distance.

"The Holy Maiden instructed us to be careful. She said that this place is a self-contained space, and if we want to leave, she can only take us away through the point where this space connects with the real world."

Li Cheng explained, "In other words, if we want to leave, we have to go back to this research institute."

"Those words give me a feeling that I might not be able to come back once I go."

Elon pondered.

"Oh dear, you can't say that, old man. Look, Brother Kuizi's face has turned pale."

"If we can't go back, at least let the photo of me and the Holy Maiden be buried together."

Kui Zi Ge's lips trembled. "My collection has been confiscated. I'm not willing to leave like this."

"Dude, is this what you're afraid of??"

Li Cheng was also speechless, but after looking at Kui Zi Ge's appearance for a moment, he seemed to have made a great decision, put his arm around Kui Zi Ge's shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.

"Fine, for the sake of our comradeship, I'll keep a copy for you."

As he spoke, he slipped a small crystal into the hand of the peeping boy.

Peeping Brother's eyes immediately shone like bright lights in the night, and he trembled as he gripped the recording crystal tightly in his hand.

"Brother Li! You'll be my brother for life!!!"

Brother Kuizi's eyes were filled with tears. "If I can get out of here, I will never forget this kindness!!!"

"Oh, these are all minor matters."

Li Cheng smiled and waved his hand, "Of course, you absolutely mustn't let the Holy Maiden know about this, or I'll be in serious trouble too..."

"squeak"

Li Cheng suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence, turned his head, and made eye contact with the rat on his shoulder.

"Oh, I almost forgot, there's this guy here too."

The rat leaped into the air and immediately kicked Li Cheng hard in the face.