The Lord of All Creation… the Omniscient and Omnipotent God… Klein leaned back, maintaining his profound posture, and silently repeated the key phrases from the
He was no stranger to "the Lord of All Creation." The Creator mentioned in the Book of Storms, the Apocalypse of the Night, and various folklore legends bore similar titles, and the "
But "the Omniscient and Omnipotent God" — this was the first time Klein had heard such a thing in this world. Neither the Goddess of the Night, nor the
If, if the City of Silver truly existed in the
Derrick felt The Fool's gaze and involuntarily lowered his head a little.
He recalled the contents of books and the legends his parents had told him, and spoke slowly and painfully: "When the sun vanished from the sky, when the clouds were torn open, when lightning and thunder became the masters, the monsters hidden in the depths of darkness suddenly appeared. They were so terrifying, so beyond imagination, that the cities of the Kingdom of Silver fell one after another… humanity's 'Age of Darkness' had arrived."
"The remaining strong gathered in the City of Silver. Relying on their united strength and two miraculous artifacts, they finally withstood the assault of the 'Dark Things' and gradually cleared the area within a day's travel of ordinary humans, establishing a city-state that sheltered the last embers of human civilization."
A textbook explanation — Klein couldn't help but comment internally.
The other's description always gave him the impression that the area where the City of Silver was located and the Northern Continent existed in entirely different worlds.
Perhaps this was the peculiarity of the Forsaken Land of the Gods? he thought without letting any emotion show.
Derrick took a breath and continued: "In the first few decades, plants couldn't grow. The City of Silver was severely lacking in food and could only survive by hunting corporeal dark creatures and certain mutated animals. The population began to decline rapidly and uncontrollably. Fortunately, we later discovered 'Blackweed' — it could survive tenaciously in such an environment and became our reliable and stable food source."
"It is believed to be the last blessing left by the great divine being, allowing the City of Silver to persevere generation after generation, enduring for two thousand five hundred and eighty-two years in the 'Age of Darkness.'"
"This is the time recorded by successive Chiefs. The other citizens of the City of Silver use periods of frequent lightning as daytime and periods when lightning subsides as nighttime — one cycle of each constitutes a day. Because this is often chaotic, we cannot keep track of the exact number of days."
What a peculiar place — Klein was glad he hadn't assumed and said "tomorrow," but instead described it more vaguely as "the next two days."
After briefly recounting a few notable events in the City of Silver's history, Derrick shifted to another topic: "After the population recovered to a certain degree, the number of Beyonders also increased, and the Council of Six began organizing elite squads to explore the darkness. Until recently — until today — we have finished exploring our original homeland and nearby city-states, and are now advancing deeper into the denser and more terrifying darkness. At the edges there, we've discovered many cities of unusual architectural styles that had met with destruction. We suspect these were shelters built by other surviving humans. Unfortunately, they were ultimately devoured by the 'Dark Things' as well."
The "Dark Things" he described must refer to the various monsters hidden in the depths of darkness — creatures unimaginable to ordinary people. Klein nodded imperceptibly.
"…The Kingdom of Silver was once under the rule of the
Hearing this, Klein immediately perked up. Though his posture hadn't changed, he was clearly more focused now.
Nothing I like more than learning about Sequence potions! The Giant King's Court… the City of Silver and the Northern Continent share the same history? The history of the Second Era… Hmm, killing monsters drops formulas? Is this some kind of game? No, there's another possibility — those monsters used to be humans, Beyonders… Klein suddenly felt a weight settle in his heart.
Derrick saw that The Fool showed no reaction, gritted his teeth, and continued carefully: "The potion formulas of the 'Giant' Pathway are as follows: Sequence 9, 'Transcendent Warrior'; Sequence 8, 'Gladiator'; Sequence 7, 'Weapon Master'; Sequence 6, 'Dawn Knight'; Sequence 5, 'Guardian'; and Sequence 4, 'Demon Hunter.' The names of higher Sequences are known only to the Elders of the Council of Six."
Sequence 4, "Demon Hunter"… so this was the name of a high-Sequence potion formula? This was the first time he'd learned anything like this! Klein felt gratified that he had finally grasped the "title" of a high-Sequence powerhouse, but he suspected this was an ancient name, different from the current descriptions used on the Northern Continent — just like the difference between "Storm Priest" and "Navigator."
Hmm, Transcendent Warrior, Gladiator, Weapon Master… those sounded somewhat familiar. That's right — the complete Sequence possessed by the Church of the
In terms of core meaning, they were essentially the same. The complete Sequence possessed by the Church of the God of War turned out to be the so-called "Giant" Pathway… This deity who reportedly appeared only in the Third Era — the Catastrophic Era — had inherited the legacy of the Giant King's Court? Or was He Himself an ancient giant? Klein maintained a gaze of detached indifference even as he analyzed and judged.
Derrick continued: