Chapter 563

Chapter 563: Late Dusk Era

  Chapter 563: Late Dusk Era

  After Byness became the new Empress of the Church, she immediately began addressing the various issues that had accumulated internally.

  Among these were the mechanisms for cultivation, assessment, and elections, all of which were discussed repeatedly in the meetings in order to establish a relatively fair new system.

  During the discussions, Lolan Hill attended her first meeting as the Sage of Clancia. She would participate as an advisor and diplomatic envoy in the internal reforms within the Church.

  Of course, when changing her identity, she removed the pendant she had been wearing and restored her original appearance. This shocked the bishops and priests present at the meeting.

  Many of them mistakenly thought this sage was a fallen angel due to the aura and spirit being too similar to a high-ranking angel.

  As a result, the initial resistance to outsiders dissipated, replaced by curiosity and speculation. And out of goodwill towards this silver-haired ‘angel,’ the Church became more amicable towards matters concerning Clancia in subsequent meetings.

  ”So, the new internal system of the Church has been decided. It will now be announced at the headquarters and its branches.”

  The presiding priest read out the new system agreed upon during the negotiations and then began discussing external affairs.

  ”It can be foreseen that the War of the Frost Rose against Clancia is about to begin.”

  ”According to the previously established guidelines, we will provide limited support to Clancia, including several medical teams. Those present who wish to participate may sign up.” After saying this, the host scanned the room.

  Most of those present were above Sequence 6, high-ranking Extraordinary Beings within the Church. Many of them were also bishops. Upon hearing the host’s announcement, a few individuals raised their hands.

  Lolan Hill sat in the middle of the main stage, next to Byness’s right side. She watched the volunteers raising their hands, and one familiar face smiled at her.

  That’s Juia? The girl recalled this bishop whom she had seen in Hope Lane, back when she and Zeneb fought, without hiding her appearance and hair color. This priest must have recognized her by now.

  However, given her friendly demeanor, she probably wouldn’t spread rumors. Besides, things were different now; even if Lolan Hill was revealed to be Lacy, it wouldn’t affect the overall situation. Instead, it could be used as an opportunity to incorporate New Vergha into Clancia.

  She nodded slightly to Juia in response to her silent greeting. At this moment, Byness turned her head and whispered.

  ”Does Lolan know Juia?”

  ”Yes, we’ve met before,” Lolan Hill looked at the woman with hair like crimson clouds, marveling at the strange twists of fate.

  ”After this, I’ll send Juia to Soland as a bishop, which will also make communication easier between us.”

  ”That would be a bother for you, Byness.”

  After the meeting ended, the Church became increasingly busy, with personnel beginning to move according to the new regulations. However, Lolan Hill found herself with more free time.

  For several students from Emanas, they only knew that Lohil had recently joined some secret mission and no longer appeared. In reality, she had been staying in the secret library inside the Holy Mountain, poring over ancient texts.

  The hard, bluish-gray stone walls were embedded with orange special gems, emitting warm yellow light, illuminating the deep underground library. Rows of stone bookshelves were neatly arranged, holding yellowed and old books.

  These stone bookshelves were spaced about a meter apart, running parallel and extending inward, their ends blurred and deep in the dim light.

  With access granted, Lolan Hill spent most of her time here, quickly flipping through and searching for information about chaos and the Dusk Era.

  But there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

  Kuus was indeed correct; the资料 from the Judgment Bureau might be more detailed and truthful. What she had been reading these days hadn’t really gone beyond what she had seen in the Judgment Bureau.

  The materials collected and organized by the former scepter priest of the Bronze Candle Palace were indeed precious.

  Realizing that further searching would be futile, Lolan Hill decisively gave up.

  ——————

  Inside the Papal Palace.

  Lanterns made of glass flickered to life, illuminating the space within. The drawings on the walls became clear in the glow, along with numerous carvings that adorned the interior.

Decorated with splendor, it revealed a world of gold and brilliance.

Lolan Hill, under the guidance of a nun, arrived at Byness’s new workplace. Along the way, she curiously observed everything around her. Today, she intended to ask Byness to lend her the storage device discovered in the ruins.

“You’re here, Lolan,” Byness said, sitting at her desk, signing and reviewing various documents.

“Mm, did I disturb you?”

“No, actually, I’m almost finished.”

Byness replied, while Lolan Hill sat on a nearby sofa, waiting for Byness to finish work.

As she watched the silhouette working under the light, her gaze grew heavy. Slowly, the silver-haired girl leaned back in her chair and fell into a peaceful doze. She had been feeling quite drowsy lately.

Time passed, unknown how long.

“Wake up, little Lolan, it’s time for dinner,” Byness said softly, standing before her and gently waking the sleeping girl.

Stretching slightly, Lolan Hill stood up from the sofa.

“Is your work done, Byness?”

“Yes, what brings you here today?” The female pope asked with interest.

“I want to borrow something from the papal hall, something that was discovered in the twilight ruins,” Lolan Hill stated her request.

“Come with me.”

After understanding Lolan Hill’s purpose, Byness led the girl deep into the papal hall underground, passing through a guarded passage with special statues, opening several hidden doors, until they reached a room filled with precious items at the end of the corridor.

Following Lolan Hill’s instructions, Byness retrieved the long-sealed object and brought it out.

Placing this unusually heavy object on the table, Byness said,

“It’s getting late, so take this home and study it. It has been here for many years, and the church hasn’t found its use. Don’t be discouraged if your research fails.”

With the mysterious storage device in hand, Lolan Hill returned to her usual small courtyard, which was quieter and more comfortable.

The circular disk seemed to be a precisely cut prism, with intricate and dense patterns resembling countless circuits.

Holding the disk, Lolan Hill summoned the system and asked it to identify the object.

[System identification in progress, please wait.]

[Please input the mana of the original sequence to activate.]

The girl switched sequences, inputting purified mana, then tracing specific patterns on the disk as if solving a maze.

As the mana flowed in, the disk gradually unfolded, and wisps of shimmering mist began to appear around it.

[‘Traceback Cloud’ Record No. 43]

Familiar yet strange scenes appeared in Lolan Hill’s mind. They were familiar because she had seen similar scenes in the records of the Tree of Life Sect.

Under the glow of sunset, metal warships floated above the sky, reflecting peculiar colors. Supersonic fighters darted through the air, their hollow wings and flowing magic currents washing over the stubborn enemies on the ground.

Those massive beasts running on the ground, towering over a hundred meters, spewed pure white torrents from their mouths, sweeping across the sky and continuously attacking the metal warships.

But all this was futile; the sky warships interconnected, forming a grid-like barrier that separated the sky from the earth, effortlessly defending against these white torrents.

The supersonic fighters swooped down, dodging various attacks with incredible agility, adjusting their attack modes and magic spells according to the opponents’ armor and shields. They launched highly targeted streams of magic energy.

These sharp, energetic blue beams pierced the bodies of the giants, exploding and turning them into charred fragments.

After dealing with these ground beasts, the floating warships in the sky shot straight lasers downward, accurately cutting the earth. With anti-gravity spells, standard cubic structures detached from the ground and slowly rose, landing aside.

As the cubes floated upward, artificial structures beneath became visible, even showing tiny figures fleeing. However, soon these personnel from other factions were burned and cleared by patrolling fighters.

After clearing all artificial structures underground, a clean nuclear bomb was dropped, and the explosion lit up the sky. The base finally vanished from the earth.

—

[In the year 3845, the ‘Mechanical Parliament’ defeated the ‘Tree of Life Sect,’ eradicating all 165 of its bases scattered across the Earth. Since then, no other organization or faction could challenge its dominance, leading to the unification of Earth.]

—

[According to reports and analyses from observers across multiple regions within the organization, after absorbing the ‘Primordial Heart’ faction, the ‘Mechanical Parliament’ underwent some reforms. It is evident that their members’ combat capabilities and collaboration have seen new leaps.]

—

[With an already dominant position, the ‘Mechanical Parliament’ continued to expand its victories. The ‘Deep Sea Alliance’ has initiated a wandering plan, preparing to leave this conflict-ridden Earth.]

—

[Based on the analysis of the core leadership within our organization, the ‘Traceback Cloud,’ our existence in the astral plane will be discovered by the technologically advancing ‘Mechanical Parliament’ in twenty years.]

—

[To prevent the worst outcome, the organization decided to use the next twenty years to secretly observe through the astral plane and fully infiltrate the ‘Mechanical Parliament,’ gathering all its information and development models.]

—

[After obtaining and analyzing these materials, we will completely replicate the ‘Mechanical Parliament’s’ development model, transforming ourselves into a similar form to undergo convergent evolution. — April 3846]

—

Lolan Hill watched the scenes stored within, those humans who resembled her externally eventually transformed into entirely different forms.

—

[I believe that what defines us is our fair and noble conduct, not our skin color, race, appearance, or even genetic sequence. — Proposal at the first Human Continuity Committee meeting.]

—

[Accepting the limitations of one’s birth reveals a lack of imagination. — At a meeting among various parties, a representative criticized the ethics committee for having too many restrictive regulations.]

—

[Limbs are merely extensions of our senses; why not use more efficient artificial constructs? — The ‘Mechanical Parliament’ refutes the ‘Tree of Life Sect’: natural life does not equate to perfection but rather subpar results under constraints.]

—

[When you are still lost in so-called love, family, and friendship, I must remind you that they are merely hallucinations induced by hormones. — The ‘Mechanical Parliament’ will discard useless elements.]

—

[The key to extraordinary power lies in the soul and consciousness. If all souls were connected, would it mean the birth of a deity? — A fanciful notion of a certain member.]

—

The young lady continued to flip through the records of past events. With the end of the difficult times at the beginning of the twilight era, floating cities increased, and survival crises gradually diminished.

—

As this sense of crisis waned, the Human Continuity Committee gradually lost its importance, with members gradually leaving.

—

Floating cities in various regions gradually formed numerous factions and organizations based on their preferences and research directions, coalescing around core values and technological orientations. In this era without nations, they formed new systems to replace the former governmental structure.

—

Afterward, several major factions expanded continuously. Then came the human return to the earth, cleaning up ground monsters and various toxic substances.

—

This was followed by about 200 years of prosperity, the most peaceful and harmonious period of the twilight era.

—

However, as technology developed among various parties, cognitive differences grew, especially with the ‘Tree of Life’ sect creating new ‘humans,’ which challenged ethical boundaries significantly.

—

While the Ethics Committee and the ‘Tree of Life’ sect argued, another minor organization appeared on Earth. They adored and worshiped the age of steel, electronics, and machinery on Earth and expressed their desire to revive the unfinished ‘Millennium Dream.’

—

When this organization was first established, no one paid attention, but it soon grew. To obtain resources needed for development from the increasingly rigid world order, they began arming themselves, and their technological approach was particularly suited to warfare.

—

Thus, the ‘Mechanical Parliament’ repeatedly disrupted the existing world order. Although there were several truces during this period, other organizations also awakened and armed themselves.

—

From then on, the prosperous and peaceful world ceased to exist, and various organizations and factions began a fierce competition on Earth, with the ‘Mechanical Parliament’ and the ‘Tree of Life’ sect being the most powerful.

—

Time thus entered the late twilight era.

—

(The chapter ends.)