Chapter 624: The Saint's Advent
“Who are you? What are these monsters, and why are they chasing us?”
Even in the dream, Matilda remained vigilant, questioning loudly.
John’s eyes were like a clear spring as he said in a low voice, “I am the envoy sent by the Lord to redeem the Holy Mother. Please, you must believe me; we will defeat the snow monsters chasing us.”
The two fled desperately, eventually reaching a precipitous cliff. John’s expression turned solemn.
If Matilda died in this dream, she would merely wake up from the dream-within-a-dream. However, he himself might be permanently lost here. He could not defeat the snow monsters in this layer; he had to enter a deeper level of the dream.
The gem above his head flashed with brilliance. With a hand-chop, he knocked Matilda unconscious and entered the next layer of the dream.
This was a vast prairie. He had transformed into a guard, while Matilda had become a little girl, running joyfully across the grass.
The impressions of the upper dream have influenced the lower dream. I protected Matilda’s consciousness in the upper layer, so in this dream, I have become her guardian. As long as I continue, I will eventually find the depths of her heart—the place where the secrets are hidden!
John’s gaze was sharp, but he hesitated to act. He had finally built a close relationship with Matilda here; if he acted too hastily, their relationship might deteriorate in the next layer.
That would be too dangerous. Matilda’s favor was his greatest guarantee for survival and achieving his goal.
John waited patiently, even beginning to sing a ballad—a quiet lullaby. The Gem of Influence above his head flickered, and Matilda gradually fell into a deep sleep.
Success! Now, entering the deeper layer of the dream. Following the established plan, I will continuously draw closer to the Holy Mother!
In the subsequent layers of dreams, John worked hard to protect Matilda no matter the danger, releasing goodwill toward her. Finally, he reached the depths of her heart. This was a bright, pink princess room filled with lovely items and various chests. One of the chests was shining with light.
“Come in, John, my best friend!”
The young Matilda beckoned, inviting the child-version of John into her room.
John did not hesitate and walked in quickly, exclaiming loudly, “Matilda, your room is so beautiful! Why are there so many chests? What’s inside them?”
Young Matilda skipped over, took his hand, and said, “These are all my little secrets. I’ll tell you, this one is…”
John listened patiently to her narrative, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upward. They approached that “benevolent” chest, and John could see the crest on it: the Sun at 10:00 AM.
“This is my devout faith in His Majesty Radiant Sun. I have received the baptism of His Majesty Radiant Sun since birth…”
John watched as Matilda opened the chest and took out scrolls of parchment, speaking in a childish voice. The curve of his smile grew even wider.
“Matilda, can you let me have a good look? I really like the Lord of Gems too.”
Inadvertently, the crest on the treasure chest changed into the Gem Crest.
“Okay, okay! Let’s look together…”
Matilda didn’t notice. She shifted her weight and spoke happily with little John, completely failing to see that as little John’s hand brushed across the paper, the key words all changed to “Lord of Gems.”
In the first layer of the dream, Paul was still fleeing with all his might. More and more anomalies appeared: trees, animals, even the walls and the guards outside the mansion all began to besiege him. The entire world seemed to be rejecting him, making everything go wrong; he was entangled by vines every few steps.
Suddenly, an urgent whistle descended from the sky. He looked up to see a massive meteorite closing in, as large as the mansion itself. The heat wave made Paul’s face scorch. He couldn’t help but shout, “F***!”
Just then, John and Matilda woke up. Matilda looked at John with a smile in her eyes and said affectionately, “My fellow believer, long time no see. May the Lord of Gems protect you.”
As she spoke, the meteorite in the sky rapidly shrank until it was only a quarter of the size of the mansion.
“Only the Count’s hostility remains! Do your best to dodge; we have Matilda!” John shouted loudly. In this dream, if they were hit by the meteorite, even at a quarter of the size, they would surely lose their lives. The Lord’s cause still needed him. Clyster, hurry up!
Paul grunted in response, placing both hands on the ground and running on all fours like a beast. His entire body actually transformed into a beastly state as the Supernatural Transfiguration Gem above his head flashed continuously.
“Haste—Lightning Leopard Transfiguration!”
Boom!
In the nick of time, the meteorite smashed half of the mansion to pieces. The massive impact caused the various forms created by the subconscious to perish with it.
The massive shockwave sent Paul and the others tumbling several times, and the surroundings turned into a wasteland. It was only then that Clyster and the Count woke up dazed, and the dream shattered along with them.
In reality, the trio woke up. Simultaneously, Count Curie and Matilda woke up. The five looked at each other and said in unison, “Gem protect!”
The next day, the Duke of Hall personally visited the John Hospital in the Seventh District, heading straight for the VIP room where his daughter stayed.
“This place is ultimately a bit crude; the only merit is that it’s relatively tidy. Daughter, why not bring the best doctors and nurses from this hospital to my mansion? You can give birth there.”
The Duke walked around the VIP maternity ward, speaking with a slight air of disdain.
Matilda and her husband smiled at each other, and she said to the Duke, “Father, I know your intentions are good. However, this is the place the doctors and nurses are most familiar with, and they have established procedures. Most importantly, this is a hospital that has gone 2 years without a single maternal death. It’s arguably the best maternity hospital in all of Hall. I’ll be fine here.”
The Duke looked at Matilda dotingly and said in a low voice, “Since my daughter wants to stay, then stay here. Eh? This pendant hanging around your neck… why is this the first time I’ve seen it?”
Count Curie stood up elegantly and said, “Father, I just bought this a few days ago. It’s a miraculous item with the effect of calming the mind, stabilizing the fetus, and aiding delivery.”
“A miraculous item?”
The Duke of Hall’s voice rose a few decibels. He then spoke with earnest gravity, “Turre, I know you care for your wife, but we truly don’t know the truth or falsehood of these things. If it’s real, or even a harmless fake, that’s not a problem. I only fear it might contain a curse. Take it off for now; I will have an expert appraise it.”
Count Curie and Matilda naturally knew this was the treasure known as the Stone of Procreation, one of the three ritual vessels. Its primary functions were to stabilize the fetus, aid delivery, and serve as a medium for the Lord’s descent.
The latter function was more important. The two exchanged glances. Matilda took off the pendant, set it aside, and said unhappily, “Father, this is a gift from Turre. If you want to invite an expert, have the expert come here personally. You cannot take it away.”
The Duke, who had only this one daughter, smiled with his old face, “Fine. I’ll have Dr. Kuka come. He is our family’s appointed appraisal expert, a capable man of the Naturalist school. I’ll be at ease once he has seen it.”
The Duke left shortly after, and Count Curie rose to see him off. As they walked to the main entrance, Matilda’s eyes closed tight, and a gem phantom emerged above her head.
On the second basement floor, the Dream of the Wilderness crystal sphere hovered in mid-air. Clyster, the Guardian of Truth, and Pope John were working hard to communicate with Ace’s consciousness within the Dream of the Wilderness.
As time passed, the True Name World’s rejection of Ace grew stronger. All of Ace’s communications had turned into unintelligible ravings in their ears. The descent was imperative.
“The Lord’s descent cannot be delayed. We…”
Just as John was speaking, Matilda’s phantom appeared abruptly.
“Lord Pope, my father suspects the pendant and wants to invite an expert to examine it. You must immediately prepare a pendant that has the sole effects of stabilizing the fetus and aiding delivery, looking exactly like this one. Be quick!”
The phantom vanished as soon as she finished. John’s brow furrowed as he said in a low voice, “We must enter the Gem Dreamscape and summon the Casting High Priest. We need his power.”
With that, he collapsed to the ground with a clang. His consciousness entered the Dream of the Wilderness, passed through the altar, and entered the Gem Dreamscape.
This place was much different than before. A temple made of pure white gems stood halfway up the Gem Mountain.
John stepped out and appeared within the temple. A scepter phantom emerged above his head.
He extended his hand, and the scepter phantom solidified. The temple was pitch black, with only ripples undulating on the water’s surface. He walked across the water as if on solid ground. The scepter tapped the surface lightly, sending out ring after ring of shimmering ripples.
“Casting High Priest, Cocaludo!”
The scepter tapped the water 9 times, each time heavier than the last.
In Hall University, a professor who was lecturing suddenly had a slight change in expression. He clutched his stomach and slowly crouched down.
“Professor Coca! Professor Coca!”
Seeing the professor collapse, the students rushed to support him and send him to the nearby hospital.
Within the dream, Cocaludo had already passed through the woodland, entered the Pure White Door, and appeared in the wilderness.
In the center of his wilderness was a pitch-black spiral. As he approached, his consciousness vanished.
Inside the dark temple, a dream-like figure quietly appeared.
“Honored Lord Pope, why such haste? I wonder what—”
John interrupted him abruptly, “No time to explain. I need you to immediately forge a replica of a pendant similar to the Stone of Procreation. It must have strong effects for aiding delivery and stabilizing the fetus. It must be fast, as fast as possible. Once finished, send it to me through the dream!”
The figure shattered like a dream. Professor Coca, who was being carried by his students, suddenly snapped awake. He jumped off the students and brushed off his clothes.
“I am fine. I just suddenly remembered an important matter. Go back to your self-study.”
Before the students could react, he sprinted toward the school’s backyard, leaped onto a horse, and galloped away.
“What’s wrong with the professor?”
“Who knows?”
“I’m just worried that with him like this, there might be a mental problem.”
“Surely not…”
Cocaludo had no time to care about the students’ gossip. He soon reached his detached villa at the university, tethered the horse, closed the door, and walked quickly back into his home.
“One must be calm when facing great matters!”
Chanting slowly, the professor unhurriedly opened the sealed secret chamber and entered.
This place was filled with various tools gleaming with a metallic luster. Cocaludo snapped his fingers. Several gems emerged above his head, and a cluster of dream information appeared before him—it was exactly the phantom of the Stone of Procreation.
“Deconstruct material, trace appearance, degrade material, enchant special effects: Calming, Aiding Delivery, Stabilizing Fetus!”
The voice was mechanical, and the skill was exquisite. This Artisan Gem had quite a history; it was a path gem created by Ace after He had etched the domain of the Kaya God of Artisans—it was also one of His experiments.
Empowered by the Artisan Gem and a series of professional gems, the Casting High Priest Cocaludo forged a seemingly identical Pseudo-Stone of Procreation in less than 30 minutes.
He let out a long sigh. Dream mist swirled, and a vortex actually emerged, swallowing the pendant.
In the second basement of the John Hospital in the Seventh District, the sleeping John suddenly opened his eyes. He took a pendant out of his pocket; it was dream-like and illusory.
“Lord Duke, there is nothing wrong with this pendant. It possesses strong effects for calming, aiding delivery, and stabilizing the fetus. It is very suitable for the Madame to wear.”
Dr. Kuka spoke composedly after examining it with his tools.
The Duke of Hall happily stuffed a bag into his arms, saying with a smile, “Thank you, Doctor. This is a bag of ancient silver coins; consider it travel expenses for running around in this heat.”
Kuka’s eyes lit up, and he unceremoniously took the bag of ancient silver coins.
“I thank the Lord Duke for his generosity. I shall disturb you no further and take my leave.”
At night, the Gem cultists within Hall City began to act silently. Various items and patterns were left behind inadvertently, and magic arrays spread across the entire city were quietly laid down.
Such a large-scale operation inevitably caused violent mana fluctuations, which drew the attention of the Suppression Bureau and the Inquisition.
The Watchmen and secret agents acted throughout the night, but they gained little. The Gem Order’s organizational structure was too concealed; communication was one-way between superiors and subordinates, members did not know each other, and communication was prohibited. Even the cultists among the Watchmen did not know who their own people were.
Ogisge was a Gem cultist within the Watchmen. On the surface, he was very calm, but his heart was tense. Yet even with that tension, he was just an ordinary Apostle—merely a peripheral member in the Gem Order. Aside from entering the Dream of the Wilderness daily for trials and communicating with companions also hidden in the dream mist, he could know nothing more.
He only learned of this major operation that night. According to Gem guidelines, one was absolutely forbidden from revealing real information within the Dream of the Wilderness; thus, no one knew his situation, and his task was assigned randomly by a superior.
The so-called superiors were actually Priests, High Apostles, and formal members who had the right to enter the inner city of the Dream of the Wilderness and participate in the regular meetings there.
Ogisge’s faith in the Lord of Gems was exceptionally solid. His foundational crystal was a very pure Faith Crystal. This was rare; most Gem cultists incorporated their desires into their paths, following the Pope’s famous saying: “The unification of personal pursuit and the Great Cause.”
Although it was a Papal saying, Ogisge had never seen the Pope, even within the dream mist.
“I can only do my part: mislead the Watchmen!”
On the second basement floor, John was activating the magic array bit by bit. Clyster, as the Qualified One, had already stood in the center of the magic array at this time, his expression solemn.
“Lord’s Qualified One, you shall be the ship carrying the Lord’s soul. May the Lord glory you; you must be loyal to the Lord.”
Clyster’s eyes had turned white. His entire body trembled as he soaked in the Mana Storage Pool. The Dream of the Wilderness crystal sphere above his head cast down a beam of red light, enveloping him completely.
He looked solemn, wearing an expression of sublime sacrifice.
“This is the Great Cause. I shall serve as the Lord’s carriage in the mortal realm, carrying the Lord to His palace.”
John’s gaze was somewhat frenzied. He held the Mirror of the Lost high. The patterns of the entire magic array were activated, and mana pulsed without ceasing.
“Treasure, ritual, object, and sacrifice!
“This is the beginning of the Great Cause, and also the Nativity of the Lord!
“I shall hold high the Mirror of the Lost, presiding over the entire ritual, mobilizing the magic arrays and the cultists of the entire city. I present the Holy Crown to stabilize and hide my Lord’s destiny!”
As he spoke, he moved forward slowly. He released the Mirror of the Lost, and it actually hovered and followed him. He raised both hands, and a brilliant, dream-like crown appeared abruptly. Simultaneously, a voice rang out in the hearts of Gem cultists everywhere.
“Activate the ritual! The Great Cause is at this moment! Devote your hearts and pray for the Lord!”
Step by step, Ogisge led his comrades into the ritual trap. He slowly activated the ritual, performed a Gem Order gesture, and several gems emerged behind him. He whispered, “Gem protect! Resist the heretics!”
Whoosh!
Countless shadows surged. The screams of the Watchmen and the smile on Ogisge’s lips were completely swallowed by this dark night.
Various rituals were activated: some sacrificed enemies, some sacrificed themselves, some sacrificed treasures, and some sacrificed evil.
The mana rhythms of Hall City were disordered. Hundreds of locations suddenly showed strong high-energy reactions, like a complex and magnificent symphony, gradually forming layers and unifying into a composite, unified ritual.
John had walked to the Mana Storage Pool, holding the crown high, waiting for the red light to dissipate.
Finally, the red light vanished. Ace’s clone had descended onto the Qualified One, Clyster, and the power of the ritual converged at his point. Blood flowed incessantly from his seven orifices.
“Time is short.”
The voice of Ace, descended upon Clyster, was somewhat dry, like a traveler who had walked in the desert for half a month.
He took the crown and placed it directly on his head. He coughed slightly and gently stroked the top of John’s head.
“After the ritual, you shall be Saint John!”
John’s tears flowed from emotion. All his efforts were rewarded at this moment. He prostrated himself and kissed the tips of Clyster’s toes, then rose to bow, holding the Mirror of the Lost high as he walked slowly.
Ace followed him, step for step.
Holy music rang out, echoing to the clouds. Countless phantoms appeared, kneeling on their knees to welcome the Lord’s descent.
If one looked closely, they would find these were exactly the cultists performing the rituals in various locations.
The road from the basement to the top-floor Holy Mother’s room was not long, but it felt like a very long walk. It wasn’t until the morning glow appeared and the first ray of sunlight shone that Ace entered the Holy Mother’s room.
Matilda wore a holy white robe and the Stone of Procreation pendant. She opened her arms.
The Stone of Procreation resonated with the Holy Crown. A rainbow bridge appeared between the Qualified One and the Holy Mother. Ace’s thumb-sized figure appeared at the head of the bridge, the crown shrinking to fit His head.
(Chapter finished)
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