novelDivine Fusion Empire
| ← Ch.549 | Ch.551 → |
Unsurprisingly, this mysterious man was Chen Chen who had just awoken from his slumber.
The remaining survivors did as they were told and informed Chen Chen of their names, age, and background.
According to the information they revealed, they all came from a faction known as the "Divine Fusion Empire". The country did not have an established constitutional monarchy but was instead controlled by the Divine Fusion Church.
They were the strongest faction in the mainland. In addition, they had made several enemies for themselves in the common region and among them, the strongest was called the "Joint Resistance Army". They were the most notable opponent of the Divine Fusion Empire.
The Divine Fusion Empire worshipped the God of Fusion – Alosorthoth. Chen Chen winced the moment he heard this name uttered from their lips.
It was the name of the Consciousness Stealer. Chen Chen knew because this was what appeared on the nameplate when he previously faced off against it in the Consciousness Battlefield.
This combined with the idea of the Divine Fusion Church gave rise to strange speculation in Chen Chen's mind.
However, he was certain that he had already devoured the Consciousness Stealer. Furthermore, he had also awakened from the cryogenic chamber previously. Only he did not expect for himself to somehow return to the cryogenic chamber after he had fallen asleep for the second time.
Could it be that something bizarre had happened to the world while he was asleep?
Upon further consideration, Chen Chen deduced that this was an extremely unlikely scenario. Even if something odd were to occur, Little X would at least inform him before putting him into the cryogenic chamber.
If that was not the reason, then it must have something to do with the splitting consciousness in his mind...
With this in mind, Chen Chen tried to concentrate his mind's eye. Once again, he sensed two splitting images in his mind, one was a world doused in complete darkness while the other was a world of wide desert and dunes with a field of worshipers in front of him.
One way to put it would be that while people would usually play games on a single screen, Chen Chen was currently dealing with two separate screens.
One of the screens was pitch-black and seemed to be shut off while the other was broadcasting a game...
This was only a metaphor since reality was not so simple after all. It was not only his sense of sight. Even his sense of hearing, scent, and touch were split into two halves. On one end, he could feel the faint touch of the blanket covers against his skin while on the other end, he felt himself standing amid the dunes of yellow sand, the scorching sunlight warming his skin, and the burning sand...
It was something even more severe than schizophrenia. It was like he was plunged into an unexplainable dream...
No, it was not a dream!
Chen Chen slowly shut his eyes and sensed the objects in his surroundings. Everything he felt, whether it was using Field or his physical touch was as real as one could be. The only offputting fact was that he was unable to control his slumbering body in the other half.
If this was not a dream, could it be something off with my conscience?
Chen Chen turned around and approached the spectacle these people referred to as the ancient ruin. The people below the ruin seemed to sense what was happening on the surface and stopped whatever excavation work they were tasked with. They stood lost and helplessly with their arms on their side as they looked at Chen Chen with fear in their eyes.
Chen Chen realized that this ancient ruin they spoke of was none other than his teleportation hall!
The teleportation hall had long collapsed by this point. The dome section had been removed by the laborers, exposing the vast and empty interior underneath.
"This is the Sahara Desert. The teleportation hall that was once a brand new addition to my facilities is now an ancient ruin. It seems that a significant amount of time has passed..."
Chen Chen muttered to himself, unsure of what to make of this. If everything he saw was the real world, did this mean that he had been sleeping for more than several centuries? What happened to his parents, Blacklight Biotechnology, and all the other countries and empires? Had they given away to the sands of time and became a remnant of an ancient era?
No, impossible!
Chen Chen shook his head refusing to believe that this was reality. After all, he could clearly remember himself killing the Consciousness Stealer and snapping himself awake from the Consciousness Battlefield. How was it possible for mankind and the earth to fall to such a state?
Unless...
Chen Chen suddenly thought of something. He squinted again and tried to sense the other half of his body as he attempted to wake up the sleeping half.
Just as he was about to commit to this effort, he was struck with another sudden realization. It seemed like if he were to awaken his other half, this half in the current world would immediately descend into a deep slumber again.
Chen Chen glanced at the gathering of laborers still kneeling in his general vicinity. If he were to fall asleep here, what would await him would be...
With this in mind, he decided to discard the impulsive idea of waking up his other half.
"I think I'm beginning to understand..."
Chen Chen allowed himself some time to further consider his current situation. He felt like he was beginning to get a grasp on what was happening. He figured that he had plenty of time to test his theories later as now was not the ideal time for it.
It may seem like Chen Chen had been rooted in place for some time, contemplating all these ideas, but this was hardly the case. In truth, all of these thoughts were formed in a matter of seconds and Chen Chen quickly snapped back to reality. He soon sensed the state in which his body was in and realized his body was considerably weak at the moment.
Although his Field was the most powerful it had ever been and he was able to form clear and concise thoughts with a clear mind now, the condition of his body deteriorating was all but inevitable.
Considering that he seemed to have slept for several centuries...
Chen Chen stepped in front of the gathered laborers. These people who already had their heads down in the first place ducked their heads further into the ground, for they were afraid of looking into Chen Chen's eyes.
"Shais, tell me, what year is it now in AD?"
Chen Chen asked in a low voice.
"AD?"
Shais paused for a moment and looked up, visibly confused by the question."This term feels somewhat familiar, I believe I've seen mention of it in ancient texts. You must forgive me, I'm afraid I don't fully understand your question..."
"Then how do you people measure the passing of time? What year is it supposed to be now?"
Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow and altered his question slightly.
Until this time, Shais showed a surprised look, but he still replied without thinking, "Master, it's now year 378 of the Divine Fusion era and the current ruler is Pope Torapthius the Sixth!"
"Year 378 of the Divine Fusion era..."
Chen Chen repeated this statement to himself. From this alone, he could extract several vital pieces of information. One of which was the current state of affairs in the human world.
"Have you heard of the Earth Federation before?"
Chen Chen asked quizzingly.
"No, I've never heard..."
Shais shook his head at the mention of this foreign phrase."I know of the Joint Resistance Army. They are the largest enemy of the Divine Fusion Empire... As for the rest, well, I don't know much. After all, I'm just a class-one baron, which is the lowest class among the royals, only above the commoners and the slaves."
"How about this person?"
When Chen Chen obtained this information, his first thought went to the strange person whom he had just killed.
Chen Chen previously inspected this strange person up and down with his Field. One odd thing that stood out to him was the person's horribly disfigured and distorted facial features that looked like he had been exposed to severe nuclear radiation. However, despite the severity of what seemed like a disease that he was afflicted with, not only was he still alive, but he even possessed what he referred to as psionic abilities.
As far as Chen Chen knew, only entities such as the Consciousness Stealer had such psionic abilities...
To be fair, he had these similar abilities as well.
When he closed his eyes, he could faintly feel the presence of two energies without a distinct form inside his mind. One took on a seemingly solidified form while the other had a weaker presence and took on a looser form similar to a cloud.
With that said, these were merely abstract pictures in Chen Chen's conscience. If one were to perform a CT scan or conduct surgery on him, there would be no signs of anything resembling what he saw in his mind.
Furthermore, it seemed like the two groups of energy were beginning to fuse as a result of him having woken up...
What was the effect of the psionic energy and would it impose an effect on his Field?
Chen Chen frowned. He decided that he should find time to examine these abilities.
The man named Shais answered, "This man is Armas, he's a class-three Earl."
Shais saw that Chen Chen was slowly losing interest in what he was describing. He considered for a moment and went into further details."He's two classes above me in terms of social hierarchy, which is why you can see three emblems on his robe representing his status. He's also a close associate of the High Priest Isabelle."
Seeing that Chen Chen was beginning to get lost behind all the terms associated with the current era, Shais diligently explained without having been prompted to do so, "Ranked higher than the class-three Earl are the class-four Marquis as well as the highest-ranked Duke. This is the nobility hierarchy of the Divine Fusion Empire. With that said, the nobility system only ranks second place in the scheme of the empire in terms of importance, the core group in control of the ongoings of the empire is still the Divine Fusion Vatican. There are four priests in the Vatican, all governed under a single Pope."
At this point, Chen Chen nodded with deep understanding. He then looked at the restless Shais and asked, "Shais, now that Armas is dead, what would you do?"
"Me?"
Shais cracked a bitter smile."An earl died on my turf. It's only a matter of time before I'm subject to investigation and impeached. I might even face the wrath of the High Priest Isabelle..."
"What if I do this?"
Chen Chen motioned with his hand. In an instant, the corpses of Armas and all of his dead subordinates crumbled into fine sands of atom particles and vaporized into thin air.
After that, Armas' airship suddenly took flight on its own and flew off into the distance.
Chen Chen stated, "Armas has left and his airship would crash somewhere hundreds of kilometers away and everything would burn until there's nothing left. His death has nothing to do with you."
"Ah, you mean that..."
Shais was initially fearful of Chen Chen's supernatural methods, but his eyes shone the moment he heard what Chen Chen was suggesting. He quickly turned to look at the group of laborers behind him, his expression flashed with ice."But the laborers..."
"They will forget everything that they have witnessed."
Chen Chen smiled and produced a metal rod from his pocket and tossed it over to Shais."Do you think you can mark your innocence by simply killing them all? Press that red button and you can erase their memories..."
"Thank you, Psionic Master!"
Shais was skeptical about this but he took the metal rod nonetheless.
"Of course, my help doesn't come without its cost."
Before Shais could relish in his blessing, Chen Chen suddenly altered his tone."There's something you'll have to do for me."
"Yes, I'll do as you please!"
Shais knelt and put his head to the ground again.
"Guard the cryogenic chamber for me."
Chen Chen pointed at the cryogenic chamber constructed with high-offset metal."If you can do that, I'll reward you with a great deal of fortune, land, and more. Whatever you want, I shall grant you!
"That is, provided that you can fulfill this task I've assigned to you!"
Shais took a deep breath and slowly raised his head to look at Chen Chen."I understand, Psionic Master. I'm your most loyal, most humble servant, and I shall safeguard this with my life!"
"Alright, wait for my return."
Chen Chen was pleased with this and nodded. Immediately after, he unleashed his Field and took off into the skies and soon vanished from sight!
Shais slowly composed himself after Chen Chen had left. He was baffled by the incredible stuns that the Psionic Master was capable of. As far as he knew, even the High Priest was unable to achieve what this man was capable of. Such power had surpassed the boundaries of Psionic and ascended to the heights of the Divine...
This mysterious person came from the ancient ruin, could it be...
A hint of awe and speculation appeared in Shais' eyes as he mumbled to himself, "A human that came before the Divine Fusion era? That explains why he possessed such groundbreaking power. It was said that the humans of the ancient era ruled the world with a mighty power..."
"It may be very worthwhile to serve this person..."
With this in mind, Shais turned to the others gathered behind him with a dark look and motioned for his subordinates."Gather the last of our laborers to this spot immediately!"
Several minutes later, all of the laborers were placed under the effect of the metal rod. Shais was amused to see the dazed look on their faces when he used the metal rod on them. It just occurred to him how many things he could potentially achieve with the help of this metal rod.
This metal rod given to him presented a multitude of potential!
However, this was not the time to be occupied with these whimsical thoughts. He turned to his subordinates and ordered them to stand together in a group as well.
Shortly after, all of his subordinates had their memories erased appropriately as well. With that, Shais knew that he could finally be at ease.
"Are you finished?"
Just as Shais allowed himself a moment to relax, he suddenly heard the voice of the mysterious Psionic Master behind him again. He was alarmed by this sudden intrusion and turned around quickly to be greeted by the sight of the Psionic Master hovering in the air behind him!
"Master!"
Shais kissed the ground while presenting the metal rod with both hands."Your most loyal servant would be honored to return the memory eraser to your Excellency!"
"Heh."
Chen Chen chuckled."It seems to me that you enjoy using it. In that case, it's yours now."
Shais had to stop his body from trembling from excitement when he heard this. His face buried in the sand turned up with exhilaration.
"Don't forget that it needs to be powered, just make sure it's exposed to sunlight regularly."
Chen Chen remarked candidly, "Alright, I'm heading back into the chamber. Remember to put it in a secluded spot and make sure someone is guarding it at all times. I'll see to it that you're well rewarded if you can keep it safe."
"Yes!"
Shais was slightly startled by this statement. It seemed like this mysterious Psionicist was planning to return to his slumber in the chamber?
"If you try to play any tricks..."
The air around Chen Chen suddenly became colder as he said this, "I'm sure you understand now that the technology in your era isn't capable of penetrating the cryogenic chamber. If I see something suspicious happening when I wake up, you have my word that nothing in the world, not even the Divine Fusion Vatican will be able to protect you!"
"Don't worry, Master!"
Shais held his breath and quickly explained, "I promise to safeguard the cryogenic chamber at all cost while I await your next awakening!"
| ← Ch. 549 | Ch. 551 → |