This dwarf, like most adult dwarves, sported a thick beard that gave him a rough and hearty appearance, but at this moment, there was nothing rash about him. Instead, he smiled with an air of profound mystery, like a learned human scholar. "I've wanted to meet you for quite some time, but I could never pin down your whereabouts."
This was an indirect admission that he was Vican—at least, the one currently controlling this dwarf's body.
Hearing the casual, leisurely tone of that statement, a sense of gloomy clouds descended upon Lucian's heart, and he couldn't help but feel a chill. Since when did Vican harbor the thought of personally eliminating him? Was it after he proposed the General Theory of Relativity and became a Legend? Or after making contact with the Monster-Vican in the "World of Doors"?
Fortunately, his own strength had improved remarkably these past few years, progressing almost in one leap from initial Legend status to the third rank of Legends. Moreover, the places he visited were either the Elven Royal Court, where he had peak-Legend allies, or the Abyss, where Vican had divine-class enemies, or they were short stays of no more than half a day. By using the special concealment of the "Destiny Mysterian," he had avoided a "chance encounter" with this universally acknowledged strongest quasi-god.
—Once the specific limitations of the Divine Descent technique were understood, the Mage Association had formed an entirely new assessment of Vican's true power. If Vican were to find a way to fuse with the Monster-Vican without hidden risks, He might then approach the level of a True God, becoming even more powerful than Thanos had been back then.
Of course, after reaching the third rank of Legends himself, Lucian was no longer as worried about Vican. At least he had a certain degree of confidence in his ability to escape. The only question was whether Vican now viewed him as a thorn in His side, willing to use the "Divine Descent" to eliminate him even at the risk of being usurped by the Monster-Vican.
These thoughts flashed through Lucian's mind in an instant before he quickly regained his composure. This was Lantant—should any disturbance arise, top-tier Legends like Heather would arrive immediately. Moreover, Vican was only projecting a descent; whether He could even defeat him was an open question. "I wonder what purpose the Disater Lord has in appearing before me?"
"The Disater Lord... it's been a long time since anyone addressed me by my Legend title." Vican seemed somewhat wistful, then he smiled. "Don't mind it. Old fogies like me are always full of reminiscence about the past. As for why I'm here, you still don't understand, 'Steam God' Yuri?"
If you were truly that sort of old man nostalgic and sentimental about the past, then I'd be a pure, kind-hearted soul who knows nothing of schemes or plots, Lucian quipped inwardly. A man capable of ruthlessly wiping the memories of several of his own friends and refining them into Seraphim, bearing a reputation as both a Legend title and a nickname—the "Disater Lord"—it went without saying what kind of temperament and thought patterns Vican possessed.
"What 'Steam God'? What 'Yuri'? I don't really understand what you mean. I don't follow." Lucian put on an expression of bewildered innocence.
Vican chuckled twice. "You might fool others, but you can't fool me. I can sense the Heart of Faith within this dwarf's body. I can feel that the power of his belief has finally found a focal point for convergence. You didn't think I'd just pick any random body to descend into, did you?"
Lucian's gaze froze instantly. After becoming a quasi-god, Vican had actually retained the ancient devil's projection-descent ability, not the ordinary projection method used by mages or other quasi-gods. This meant that even if He wasn't a quasi-god who had mastered the Secret of Undying, He would still be incredibly difficult to destroy completely. Truly worthy of being the powerhouse who single-handedly withstood and suppressed the Silver Moon, the Abyss, and the Monster-Vican.
Of course, a large part of the reason for this was that the Lord of Hell and the Will of the Abyss found it inconvenient to project descents, and their strength would be suppressed in the primary material world, making joint action difficult—in the case of the Will of the Abyss, cooperation wasn't even a question.
Lucian's frozen gaze could not escape Vican, a quasi-god who commanded the Power of Emotion. He smiled calmly. "I believe with your intelligence, after seeing this dwarf upon whom you personally bestowed Divine Arts, you shouldn't need me to say more. Facts are more persuasive than words."
Even if He couldn't directly project into the bodies of high-ranked or above cultivators who lacked accumulated negative emotions, He was still minutely perceptive to shifts in emotion.
"This is merely a secret research project. The mysteries of gods, the essence of the power of faith—these have always been key areas of study for the Legend mages of the Association. For example, Oliver has been researching the 'Dark Dragon God.'" Lucian wanted to hear what Vican was actually planning, so he dropped the act of innocence and frankly admitted it, without uttering a single falsehood.
"So cautious. It seems that conversation with Douglas has made you all guarded. Even when no one else is listening, you won't say anything to discourage Archanist and Arcane Magic research."
Vican seemed entirely unconvinced by Lucian's candid statement. "Indeed. The founder of New Alchemy and the Theory of General Relativity, the most authoritative Archanist in both microscopic and macroscopic domains, a principal architect of the current Archanist and Arcane Magic system, the mage closest to the essence of the world and magic... yet he has abandoned his own proclaimed research attitude. He no longer focuses on exploring the true nature of the world, no longer trusts in the future of Archanist and Arcane Magic, and has shifted his focus to propagating faith. If such a fact were to spread, it would undoubtedly be a crushing blow to the confidence of every Archanist in the Mage Association."
"This is only research, research that actually demonstrates my Archanist attitude. For me, propagating faith holds no meaning, nor does gathering power of belief. My priorities are different from yours. All I care about is the essence of the power of belief and what position it should hold within the current Archanist system." Lucian continued to speak the truth, whether it was the convergence of special electromagnetic waves or the gradual transition from weak observer to strong observer—these were still merely hypotheses.
Vican gave a dismissive snort. "Enough with the noble, lofty justifications. I have no need to use your words to strike at the Mage Association. I only wish to ask you: do you want the complete method to steal and utilize the power of belief? That creature cannot directly reveal the secrets of quasi-gods to you, as it cannot violate the rules I established. It can only let you observe and deduce for yourself. Therefore, I believe you only know how to use emotional power to transform into an ancient devil state, and not even the best method I have refined over the past thousand years."
"You should be very clear that your path to quasi-godhood is missing its most critical link. You cannot reach the end with just one leg. And I can help you solve this problem. All it requires is a very small price from you—a price that won't make anyone suspect you. After all, while the number of senior mages who know the complete structure of the artificial planet isn't huge, there are still nearly twenty. Who's to say who leaked it? It wasn't as if you went to redeem it just yesterday."
"Absurd! What use would I have for the method to steal and utilize the power of belief? Can it help me uncover the essence of the power of belief? Can it help me understand what principles it truly corresponds to? My current research can!" Lucian rejected him righteously and forcefully.
Yet, this very righteous and forceful tone, to Vican's ears, seemed to carry a hint of immense wavering. Lucian hadn't directly ridiculed his attempt to tempt a great Archanist. Instead, he had rebuked him with a sense of guilt, questioning the use of such a thing. It wasn't hard to understand what he was truly thinking.
Vican continued unhurriedly. "Useless? Then why did you steal the power of belief belonging to the God of Craftsmen, Haite? The methods you used to steal and utilize it, while subtle, are only good in that one aspect—they are far too clumsy in every other way. If Haite himself hadn't been in the process of transforming into the 'Steam God,' you wouldn't have had a chance of success. Thanos and the rest of us have nearly three thousand years of combined research—how could you possibly have fumbled your way to it in just one or two years?"
Of this, He was supremely confident.