Chapter 172

Chapter 172

The Cardinal tried to downplay the situation, as if Miskatonic was merely an annoyance that required some investigation. But to Lane and Carmen, who knew the truth, his words were nothing but stubborn denial.

Carmen, of course, didn't directly call him out on it. Instead, he nodded understandingly. "Miskatonic University is indeed troublesome. The worst part is their comprehensive educational system, which keeps producing generations of skilled investigators – quite vexing."

"Exactly, that's why we're establishing this university!" The Cardinal said, looking at the construction site before them. "Schools are nurseries for talent. Since Miskatonic has its university, we must have Bletchley University, and ours will be even better!"

"A magnificent undertaking," Carmen chimed in with a timely compliment. "You're engaged in a grand endeavor!"

The Cardinal's face creased with delight. "Oh, no, no, you're the ones excelling. Miskatonic has been forced to hide its headquarters. If your cult wishes, you could send troops to raid them anytime."

Upon hearing this praise that also served as a probe, Carmen received a cue from Lane and slightly softened his smile. "Ah, it's not as simple as you make it sound. We may seem to have the upper hand, but in reality, we're just holding our own against Miskatonic."

"How can that be…" The Cardinal feigned surprise. "But it looks like you're suppressing them…"

"Sigh, it only appears that way. They're trapped by the fog, and so are we," Carmen said vaguely. "This is the test our Lord has given us."

The Cardinal's expression turned odd. He understood the hidden meaning behind Carmen's words: even within the Mist World, the followers of their faith couldn't move freely. That made sense; otherwise, it was hard to explain why the Secret Church hadn't simply eradicated Miskatonic.

Despite calling it a trial, the cardinal knew that gods cared no more for mortals than mortals did for ants beneath their feet. Of course, he wouldn't express such an insensitive sentiment directly: "God's trials are always arduous, but if you don't mind, I believe we might explore a deeper level of collaboration beyond investing in the school."

Carmen's discouraged expression softened. "You mean...?"

"The both of us harbor enmity towards MU," the cardinal revealed his ultimate goal, "Why not unite against them? Due to the fog's hindrance, we can't launch a direct assault on their main base. Instead, let's infiltrate their campus and cause chaos from within."

Carmen pondered seriously, "I need to know more about the plan."

"Of course, of course," Carmen's openness was music to the cardinal's ears. He hadn't expected immediate mutual satisfaction, but this was a promising start, "There's no rush for the infiltration plan. We have other areas where we can cooperate. What do you think?"

Carmen responded promptly, "Where are the documents? When shall we convene the board meeting?"

Satisfied with Carmen's straightforwardness, the cardinal signaled for the God on Earth, who was overseeing construction, "Escort this esteemed priest to the conference room for signing."

"Right this way, the documents are ready," The God on Earth shot Carmen a peculiar glance, maintaining a poker face, and led him to the conference room.

The live stream audience burst into laughter.

"Damn, it's you again! Carmen!"

"What's going on? How did Carmen end up here?"

"I saw him earlier, with the Cardinal."

"Think logically, Bletchley University is run by a coalition of cults. Could they have invited the Secret Church again?"

"It's quite possible. I'm laughing my head off."

"What's the deal? Carmen was the one who welcomed me during my matriculation at Michigan. Is he here again?!?"

"Carmen, such a dedicated worker."

"Hahaha, don't tell me Lane is also the Chancellor of Bletchley University!"

"Wow, this is hilarious. What's happening? Are we all part of the same family in the end? hhhh"

Indeed, as the players speculated, after Carmen signed the contract to become a trustee on behalf of the Secret Church in the conference room, he had to muster all his acting skills to prevent any strange expressions from showing.

The cardinal was oblivious to this, and he was even relieved that he had thought of collaborating with the Secret Church. Now, he felt more confident in dealing with Miskatonic. "I'm looking forward to our future collaboration. By the way, the school is still in need of some mentors and students. If you have suitable candidates, feel free to send them over."

"Certainly, our church has many talents who would be thrilled to contribute their skills."

Carmen shook hands with the cardinal, both wearing smiles on their faces. However, the true meaning behind those smiles was best left unknown to the cardinal.

Having witnessed the successful signing of the board agreement, Lane was very satisfied. As for the cardinal's mention of sending students, he could assign some exchange student quests to players later on; he was sure many would find it intriguing.

As for teachers, there were plenty of Khamyans skilled in potion-making who could be sent over. However, he hadn't made a decision yet, so he would deal with it when the time came.

"By the way, since we've established our partnership, there's something I'd like to inquire about," the cardinal said, suddenly leaning closer to Carmen mysteriously. "Now that your deity has descended... Has He given any directives?"

"Directives?"

"Something like enlightenment or prophetic dreams," the cardinal explained. "With so many gods suddenly wanting to manifest, and what happened in Arkham and Orland... Could it be that doomsday is truly upon us?"

Orland had been no stranger to the news of the recent events at New Port. Doomsday had always been a propaganda tool for cults, promising believers survival after the apocalypse. Given the sudden surge of divine revelations requesting descent, it was natural for people to make ominous connections.

Lanen's heart stirred, and he prompted Carmen to respond. Carmen quickly reassured, "Not at all, Your Eminence, you're overthinking. If such an event were to occur, the divine would surely provide guidance."

"The divine might grow weary of our incompetence," the cardinal sighed in distress. "You know we do try, but those from Mida are so troublesome. It's not our fault... But the divine doesn't concern itself with these matters. Perhaps somewhere in this world, the divine has already chosen a new successor and descended anew..."

Lanen's spirits sank at these words. Yes, they had prevented the cultists in New Port from summoning their dark deity, but New Port was merely the largest gathering place for cultists, not the only one.

This world was vast, with backward villages, war-torn zones, and isolated islands... Wherever there were cultists, the dark deities could potentially manifest.

The concentration of the divine descent ceremony in New Port previously was mainly due to it being the headquarters of multiple cults, where their followers were strongest. Thus, they could hasten the ritual and even seize sacrifices more easily. But now that they had failed, and with those who had been forcefully dragged back by Lanen earlier... They must have realized that New Port was no longer a viable location. They would certainly attempt to reconnect with their followers in other, unnoticed corners to hold another ceremony.

They might already be planning a divine descent in a place unseen by Lanen, or perhaps they had already descended.

At the thought, a wave of unease washed over Lanen, damping his initial delight at joining Bicester University.

Carmen still had some interfaith engagements to attend to, which held no interest for Lanen. He withdrew his gaze early and returned to the Divine Realm, pondering how to turn the tables on their current passive situation.

For he had just realized something. Why did gods rarely descend on Earth before? It wasn't solely due to the barrier between the Dream World and reality; dark deities could only briefly manifest through rituals conducted by their cultists.

(Because a lasting presence in reality requires an anchor, and during the rituals, the cultists served as anchors. However, due to their vulnerability, the deity's descent often resulted in the death of the cultists. With their deaths, the anchors severed, causing the deity to fall back into the Dream World. Hence, these descents were fleeting.)

To remain indefinitely, one had to either adopt the identity of a widely recognized deity like Judas, who was associated with God or angels in the real world and had a multitude of believers and anchors. Alternatively, one could descend through a 'Door.'

This was why, in previous times, evil gods weren't overly eager to manifest on Earth.

Now, the reason so many evil gods desired to descend might—possibly, perhaps—be due to Lane.

Lane was already well-versed in the mechanics of an evil god's descent and understood the immense allure he held as a 'Door' for them. It was highly probable that their purpose was to target him directly.

The Day of Judgment had always been a heavy burden on Lane's mind. He knew it would inevitably arrive but was unsure of the exact date. From his observations in the first timeline, it coincided with the alignment of nine celestial bodies.

Lane needed to accumulate as much strength as possible before that day arrived. As for the evil gods, their objective might be to capture him. This was likely why they were now eagerly attempting to manifest in reality, deviating from their former indolence.

Currently, what frustrated Lane was his limited control over cities beyond New Port, Orland, and Arkham. If the evil gods chose to descend in any corner of the world, he would be unaware and defenseless.

Fortunately, his newly awakened powers compensated for this ignorance. Now, if an evil god were to descend, he would sense it. However, that would be too late! Moreover, his ability to seal space was restricted to locations with spiritual plants. Thanks to the efforts of his believers, he could cover the entire nation at most, not extending further.

The same applied to players. With over 100,000 players currently, the number was still insignificant compared to the global population. Most players were concentrated in Arkham, New Port, and Orland, although not because there were invisible barriers in other cities. Players had tested this early on, and such barriers didn't exist. Nevertheless, upon death, players would respawn in these three cities only.

For convenience in swapping cards and completing quests, most players wouldn't venture too far from these cities, leaving vast areas uncovered worldwide.

"If only one possessed the power of fate..." Lane couldn't help but muse. Ignoring how they had once manipulated him, the fact that they established the Audit Bureau and maintained Earth's prolonged peace indicated that their ability to glimpse the future was indeed very useful.

With such an ability, one could have dispatched agents to intervene before the devotees carried out their ritual. Alas, fate was already sealed.

After a moment of contemplation, Lane returned to the present and summoned Archie. He wanted to see if he could use the Seer's questioning ability to discern where the rogue god might appear.

Just as Archy was about to employ his gift, he saw the Sphinx eagerly materialize, delightfully circling around Lane's ankles and casting a pitiful gaze at Archy.

Archie: "… Go ahead."

So the Sphinx stepped forward gracefully, swishing its tail as it looked up at Lane.

Lane said, "Well, let me confirm this first: Can you predict the arrival of an evil god in advance?"

The Sphinx shook its head decisively. "Not really. My riddles are confined to reality. Once they involve the Dream World, the accuracy decreases significantly. Even if you asked me about the most likely successful ritual for an evil god's descent in the world, my answer wouldn't be reliable."

"Hmm..." Lane frowned. "What if the evil god has already descended into the real world?"

"In that case, I can help," the Sphinx replied promptly.

That didn't seem to make much sense for Lane, as he could now determine if the Evil God had come to the world.

However, before entering the fifth level, there was no way for him to know for sure if the Evil God had already arrived. Just in case, Lane posed the question to the Sphinx: "I'd like to know if there are any other Evil Gods in reality, apart from myself."

After a brief exchange, the Sphinx answered Lane's inquiry: "Yes, there is one."

Lane was taken aback. There really was? Wait, when did They arrive? And how did They remain in the real world?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on this matter.

"Reveal His location to me."

He needed to see this creature for himself.

Back when the players clashed with the New Port, they either prevented the ritual from succeeding or relied on Lane to pull the evil god back into the Dream World. However, the words spoken by the evil god summoned by the new bishop piqued Lane's interest.

In no time, Lane obtained two geographic coordinates. As Sphinx spoke, blood tears suddenly trickled down his cheeks. At the same time, Archie, who had been spectating, spat out black blood.

Lane hastily halted their suffering, intending to transport them to Arkham Hospital within the Divine Realm. But Archie insisted, "That hospital won't be able to treat us. This is the backlash from our powers. Please rest assured, I'll recover soon enough. The Prophet has taught us how to handle such situations."

In that moment, the Sphinx suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no, It's noticed us!"

As her words echoed, the Sphinx vanished abruptly, while Archy fell to his knees. He seemed to have beheld an unspeakable horror, his eyes wide and bloodshot, with something wriggling beneath his skin.

Lane immediately crouched down to check on Archy, but the latter covered his face, saying, "Don't look at me..."

The Sphinx, having been recalled into the Gap of Dreams by Archy, was now roaring loudly within it, "Quickly, enter the Divine Realm!"

"The... Divine Realm..." Archy struggled to speak, his throat pulsating as if with great difficulty. Understanding the situation, Lane promptly pulled Archy into the Divine Realm.

Upon entering, Archie promptly fell to his knees and opened his mouth. To everyone's shock, a three-finger-wide worm wriggled out from his throat. It was still alive, squirming relentlessly on the ground as if attempting to escape. However, it was firmly anchored to the floor by Lane's plants.

Only after the Divine Kingdom had completely isolated the aura of that unknown evil god did Archi manage to free himself from that terrifying corruption. He collapsed before Lane, his face still bearing the marks of his contorted skin.

Lane's expression darkened, and an oppressive aura radiated from him, horrifying in its intensity. He scooped up Archie and promptly conjured a Spirit Seed.

The Spark of Spirit grew, gradually transforming into a tree. However, a cavity large enough to accommodate an adult formed in its trunk. Lane placed Archie inside the hollow, and the branches instinctively wrapped around him, exuding a healing sap.

In sync with its master's mood, the plants within the divine kingdom were in upheaval. The already lush botanical gardens became even more dense, obscuring the sky. In the Arkham Hospital, busy doctors and nurses hurriedly retreated into the depths of the building. Even in reality, Arkham, which was originally basking in clear skies, found its atmosphere shrouded in gloom and mist.

Passersby on the street looked up in surprise. "Didn't the weather forecast say it was going to be a clear day?"

In the Domain of the Gods, Lane took a deep breath and struggled to calm himself down. He could sense that his current anger was causing the spiritual plants to stir restlessly. If he didn't regain his composure soon, it might have repercussions in the real world.

And this anger, of course, should be directed at the proper target.