A Path Belonging to the God of Original Sin

City of Miracles.

Unlike in the City of Lights, where the city lord and the elder were separate individuals, the lord of this city was the elder's own child.

As the city's population grew and the Land of Sunrise became increasingly prosperous, its various affairs had become too much for one person to handle alone.

Many elders in the Land of Sunrise had already delegated portions of their authority, entrusting administrative affairs to others.

Naturally, there were also individuals like Xin Jisi, who clung to power with an unyielding grip, unwilling to relinquish it.

The temple in the City of Miracles stood tall, resembling a massive lamp. Blazing flames burned at its peak, casting their glow across the entire city.

The firelight refracted downward through the curved dome, shining through its windows to illuminate the city in all directions.

Light and shadow from the dome danced across the plaza, mingling with the glow of the sacred flames. To the citizens of the City of Miracles, this light seemed imbued with a divine power that shielded their city from harm.

In the plaza stood statues of robed spirits, their forms seeming to float lightly upon the ground, as though they had just descended from the Creator's divine realm into the mortal world.

"Lord Elder!"

"Lord Elder!"

A middle-aged Snake Person wearing light-colored divine attendant robes emerged from the temple. His clothing lacked the splendor of Xin Jisi's, yet other alchemists passing by stopped to show him respect.

The elder of the City of Miracles bore a dignified expression.

He did not respond but walked directly past them.

The elder descended from the temple, his steps steady as he crossed the bustling plaza. Eventually, he paused before the statue of a spirit, its presence drawing his gaze.

He had passed beneath this statue countless times before and was long accustomed to everything here.

No matter how breathtaking or grand a sight might be, seeing it too often could dull its impact, leaving the heart unmoved.

Yet at this moment, he did not know why he had stopped before this statue.

The elder of the City of Miracles raised his head.

He gazed upon the sacred spirit said to dwell in the Creator's divine realm.

Spirits were genderless, but the craftsman had used superb skill to carve a face with youthful features.

The intricate carvings on the robes seemed so lifelike, as though they might flutter and take flight at any moment.

The elder of the City of Miracles looked at the statue, and an association flooded his mind. "Spirit messengers!"

If spirits served as messengers for the Dream Sovereign, embodying the will of that divine being, then perhaps he and his family could become an apostolic lineage for the God of Alchemy and Desire.

They would be like the spirits and nymphs who embodied the grandeur of the Dream Sovereign, delivering divine messages with grace and reverence.

The Elder of the City of Miracles was one of two chosen preliminary apostles of the God of Alchemy and Desire, but he had yet to become a Fourth-Rank Ability User.

The Art of God's Grace was a secret technique developed by the Trilobite People to achieve Fourth-Rank apostle status. It was first proposed by Sandean, the founding sage of the Temple of Truth, and later refined by Lan, the second sage.

However, the priests of the Trilobite People and the Snake Person Ability Users differed greatly from alchemists in their nature and practices.

Trilobite People relied on Sun Cup Flowers to advance to Second-Rank, drawing power from their surroundings to strengthen themselves.

In contrast, Snake Person Ability Users could ascend directly through their bloodline, inheriting the power of Law Imprints naturally from their lineage.

Alchemists could even receive divine gifts, possessing more possibilities while binding all their power to their Lamps of Covenant.

To reach Fourth-Rank using the Art of God's Grace, alchemists needed to adapt the technique to align with their unique traits and the distinct nature of their power.

The elder of the City of Miracles made his way to a mansion in the city.

He chose not to live in the temple, unlike Xin Jisi, who believed that residing within its sacred walls symbolized closeness to the deity and granted him the right to look down upon the world from above.

As he walked, he contemplated the problem of the Art of God's Grace.

"The Art of God's Grace fuses seal imprints, mental power, and divine blood into one."

"By using mental power's suppression, it forces the three to unite, ultimately birthing God's Grace Stones and mythologizing one's own brain."

"Why does it not work?"

"What other conditions are needed?"

"How should it be done?"

The Elder of the City of Miracles arrived at his mansion, just in time to encounter his son, who served as the city lord.

"Father."

His son had long since moved out and generally only returned when there was business.

The elder of the City of Miracles knew this, so he led his son toward the mansion's depths and asked him directly.

"What is it?"

"What has happened now?"

As they walked, his son explained, "Father, the school faction is stirring up trouble again in the Alchemical Council elections."

"They're vying for more influence, even trying to take our positions on the council."

"The factions within the city are being particularly aggressive."

He knew his father's temperament, that he disliked pleasantries and speaking in circles, so he got straight to the point.

The Elder of the City of Miracles's voice was like iron. "Suppress them."

His son, the city lord of the City of Miracles, asked with some concern, "But won't that cause a major disturbance?"

The Elder of the City of Miracles looked at his son. "Only families bound by bloodline can maintain God's glory for generations."

"Those people from the schools do not know their place. They have no reverence, and they are unfit to be God's believers."

"I will become an apostle."

"And our family will become an apostolic family."

The Elder of the City of Miracles walked to the door, then turned his head back to his son.

"And it is not only these schools," the elder added, his voice resolute.

"Even the Golden bloodline of the Xin Ji family will become a thing of the past."

Wild joy spread across his son's face, erasing any trace of his earlier worry.

"I know what to do now."

After bowing respectfully to his father, he hurriedly departed.

As the emergence of the apostles drew near, the rivalry between alchemist families and schools intensified. Instead of bringing stability, it only grew more ruthless.

The Elder of the City of Miracles raised his hand.

The ritual arrays engraved on his bracelet activated, and the heavy stone door before him swung open.

Not just one door, but multiple doors behind it opened as well.

He passed through the corridor and into the innermost room, a spacious chamber where ritual arrays for the Art of God's Grace were carved into the floor.

He stepped onto the array, preparing to continue his study and experiments with the power of the Art of God's Grace.

But when he reached the center, he suddenly froze.

"Who is hiding there?"

"Come out!"

The elder of the City of Miracles turned his head, looking toward a dark corner.

He saw a Snake Person standing there, his eyes glowing faintly in the gloom and revealing a deep malice.

The figure seemed to have overheard the elder's conversation with his son, for his response was filled with pointed intent.

"The Golden bloodline of the Xin Ji family will never become a thing of the past."

"A clown like you will never steal what belongs to the Golden bloodline."

Hearing this voice, the Elder of the City of Miracles immediately recognized who it was.

His expression changed slightly, but he maintained his composure.

"Xin Jisi?"

From the shadows, an elderly Snake Person stepped forward, his movements deliberate and unhurried.

The Elder of the City of Miracles stood tall, his presence commanding and full of vitality. He carried himself with the confidence of someone in their prime, strong and unwavering.

In contrast, the other figure bore the weight of age, his body frail and worn. Yet, his eyes betrayed none of that weakness. They burned with an intense longing, a hunger for all that had eluded him in life.

The Elder of the City of Miracles watched Xin Jisi approach step by step. A powerful, oppressive force rolled off him, yet the elder showed no fear or panic.

Instead, he grew increasingly calm.

The other was a Third-Rank Ability User, just like him. There was no reason to panic.

"Grand Elder," the elder called out, his voice breaking the tense silence.

"What brings you to the City of Miracles so suddenly?"

"If you needed me, you could have summoned me to the City of Lights."

The old Snake Person shook his head. "No. I have grown impatient."

"I want to see how you are using what the God of Alchemy granted you. I want to see if you truly deserve this honor."

"Why?"

"The God of Alchemy chose you. He did not choose me."

A hoarse, aged laugh escaped his lips.

"Look at you. So young."

"Possessing a talent that surpasses my own."

"The one who wants to seize the Xin Ji family's glory, the one who wants to steal our honor."

"I wonder what it would be like to take everything from you," Xin Jisi said, a twisted excitement in his voice.

He stepped closer to the Elder of the City of Miracles, his words dripping with malice. "Yes, that would be truly satisfying."

The elder now had no doubt of the other's ill intent. The dense malice pierced his consciousness like a sharp blade. He simply had not expected that a dignified Grand Elder would come to his city to attack him personally.

"Are you so dissatisfied with God's arrangement?"

"Do you refuse to accept that I earned the God of Alchemy's recognition?"

"Xin Jisi, did you come here to kill me? To kill the one recognized by God, the future apostle?"

The old Snake Person emerged from the shadows carrying his Lamp of Covenant.

Yet, the once pristine Lamp of Covenant now appeared tarnished and corroded, its surface marred by rust. The flame within had dimmed, flickering with an ominous black hue.

Even in the shadows, the tarnished lamp offered no illumination.

"God's recognition?"

The old Snake Person laughed, a loud sound full of rage.

The old Snake Person's mouth opened unnaturally wide. Darkness spilled out in waves as his jaw stretched far beyond what any ordinary person could manage, almost splitting his head in two.

The old Snake Person took the Lamp of Covenant in his hands, his grip tightening. With a sickening crunch, he bit into the metal, chewing it slowly as if savoring each fragment of his past.

Another crunch echoed through the room as he swallowed the shards, his movements deliberate and grotesque.

Crunch after crunch, the sound of his teeth grinding against metal filled the air, each bite a twisted act of defiance and greed.

The lamp fire rampaged through Xin Jisi's body, finally merging into his skull as flames spouted from his eyes, ears, and nostrils.

"No need for God's recognition."

"No need for divine gifts."

Xin Jisi's expression grew more fierce and terrifying. "I will take it myself!"

After swallowing the Lamp of Covenant, the flames on his body grew increasingly intense.

Finally, his entire body erupted in flames, radiating an intense light as though he had become a living embodiment of a Lamp Spirit.

Ever since selling his body and soul to the God of Original Sin, Xin Jisi's body seemed to have undergone strange changes, gaining the ability to seize external powers.

Having devoured his own Lamp of Covenant, he no longer needed its fire and could now release that power himself.

The old Snake Person's form expanded to three meters, and he looked down upon the Elder of the City of Miracles.

"See? I do not need God's power."

"This is my power."

Xin Jisi's inspiration for this approach seemed to have come from Tut not long ago.

The Elder of the City of Miracles was completely stunned, having never witnessed such a mad scene.

He pointed at Xin Jisi, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Abyssal power!"

"You are mad! You offered your power to the Abyss?"

"Which Abyss King tempted you? Yafuan, the Fire Abyss King? Or Melde, the Black Mud Abyss Queen?"

The Elder of the City of Miracles was truly startled and immediately retreated.

He quickly stepped back to the center of the room, summoning his Lamp of Covenant to deal with the threat.

But at that moment, the ritual array beneath his feet flared to life, communicating with an unknown world and drawing power from some distant place.

Darkness swirled on the ground, opening a door that led to the depths of the earth.

The ritual array on the ground had somehow been changed into something else entirely.

It was an Abyss Sacrifice ritual.

The Elder of the City of Miracles looked down and saw a door forming in the darkness.

It was a mythological door, dark red and ominous, crafted from intertwined flesh and bone.

The Elder of the City of Miracles now understood exactly to whom Xin Jisi had sold himself.

"Not Yafuan, and not Melde."

"It is..."

"The God of Original Sin."

The darkness suppressed the Elder of the City of Miracles's power and sealed the room completely.

Unless they had foreseen these events, not even the gods could perceive what was happening to the Elder of the City of Miracles.

He tried to summon his Lamp Spirit, but the Lamp of Covenant in his hand gave no response.

"It's over!"

This was the Elder of the City of Miracles's final thought.

At that moment, the towering Snake Person, now standing over three meters tall, lunged forward and seized the Elder of the City of Miracles by the head.

With a fierce roar, Xin Jisi gripped the elder's head tightly, his claws digging into the flesh. In one swift, brutal motion, he tore it free, blood spraying across his body. Holding the severed head high, he hurled it into the dark, gaping Abyssal door, his voice echoing with unrestrained rage.

"Die!"

"Die!"

"Thief who steals from the Golden bloodline!"

Immediately after, Xin Jisi shoved the Elder of the City of Miracles's headless body.

With cold eyes, he watched it fall into the dark Abyss.

"Fall!"

"Do not think of reaching the God of Alchemy's realm. You will fall into darkness with me!"

At last, he reached down and picked up the Elder of the City of Miracles's Lamp of Covenant from where it had fallen.

It was a magnificent lamp crafted from gems.

This time, he did not chew and swallow it. Instead, he pressed the lamp directly into his chest.

"Become my power!"

"Become food for my eternal life!"

"Power of Greed!"

"Devour it for me!"

The Elder of the City of Miracles's Lamp of Covenant seemed to soften like clay, pulled into Xin Jisi's flesh until it became part of his body.

Xin Jisi's heart slowly transformed, hardening into a radiant gemstone that shimmered with an otherworldly glow.

In that moment, he absorbed a fragment of the Elder of the City of Miracles's power, the essence of what had once belonged to another.

But soon after, Xin Jisi began to gag uncontrollably, his body convulsing as if struggling to expel what it could not contain.

He vomited violently, spewing out everything he could not digest.

Whoosh!

Xin Jisi breathed fire, which was accompanied by debris.

He vomited out the metal debris of his own Lamp of Covenant, having completely merged with its fire.

He then vomited out the lamp fire from the Elder of the City of Miracles's Lamp of Covenant, having seized all the spirituality within it.

The old Snake Person's power instantly expanded far beyond what it had been before. The spiritualized metal lamp merged into his heart, and a powerful spiritual force permeated his body.

It appeared he was on the verge of forming his own mythological organ, preparing to ascend to the rank of apostle.

Ultimately, his efforts came to a halt, hindered by insufficient power and flawed methods.

Xin Jisi's terrifying form gradually retracted, returning to the appearance of an ordinary Snake Person.

However, he now looked much younger.

Xin Jisi stood naked, his once-withered skin and hunched body now greatly improved.

The firm muscles and strong body left Xin Jisi staring in disbelief.

That sensation of plundering others, that comfort of continuously gaining power...

It was truly irresistible.

Xin Jisi seemed to have gone mad. Drool flowed from his mouth, his eyes were wild, and he swished his tail back and forth in excitement.

"Plunder!"

"Take everything from others!"

"What God will not give me, I will take myself!"

"What I do not have, I will seize from others!"

"Without talent, I will seize the talent of others!"

"Not enough power? I will seize the power of others!"

At this moment, Xin Jisi appeared utterly transformed, bearing little resemblance to the man he once was.

Desire is like a stone rolling down a mountaintop. Once it begins to devour you, it can no longer be stopped.

It only moves faster and faster, unstoppably crushing everyone in its path.

He ran his hands over his transformed body, feeling the power of greed coursing through him, a gift from the God of Original Sin.

He was intoxicated by it all, and he wanted even more.

"How powerful!"

"The Original Sin of Greed!"

Yet Xin Jisi failed to see that his greed, his body, and his very being were all too fragile to withstand the boundless greed of the God of Original Sin.

He paid no attention to the fact that this method of seizing power had only two outcomes.

One was to become a mindless tool. The other was to sign a contract with the Abyss, go mad, and become part of the Abyss itself.

The stronger he grew, the deeper he fell.

This was the moment of his fall into the Abyss.

After killing the Elder of the City of Miracles and seizing his power, Xin Jisi immediately left the mansion.

Xin Jisi destroyed the ritual array on the ground, leaving behind a symbol of an ouroboros.

It was a snake biting its own tail, as if it wanted to devour itself as well.

This became known as the mark of the Abyss Cult from that point onward.

The Abyss.

Behind the Door of Original Sin, endless black rain stirred layer upon layer of ripples in the darkness.

A head floated up from the depths, drifting toward the Flesh and Blood Star in the sky.

On the Flesh and Blood Star stood a throne built of piled flesh and a long table assembled from bones.

Upon the grotesque throne, stained with blood and decay, sat a frail man draped in ragged garments.

He looked unremarkable, with plain features, like an ordinary passerby.

But when he raised his head, his eyes could not be ignored. Anyone who saw them could feel a power of unwavering conviction.

The God of Original Sin, Xiao, held a letter in his hand. It was the letter Oran had sent to Tut, containing fragments of Yinsai's divine oracle.

Its meaning was not directly expressed, so Xiao had to search between the lines for what he wanted to know.

Precisely because of this, however, Xiao could obtain information that other demigods could not, details casually mentioned by the Saint Raphael.

Suddenly, a head soared through the air, landing with a dull thud on the bone table before Xiao.

This was the head of the Elder of the City of Miracles.

Xiao made no movement, as if he had known all along that the head would be delivered before him at this exact moment.

A ceramic puppet the size of a finger jumped up from the table, bouncing across it to land before the human head.

The ceramic puppet reached out with its tiny hands and tapped on the skull.

"Memory Recall!"

Scenes from the head's mind projected from its eyes one by one, finally freezing on the moment the God of Alchemy and Desire granted him the Art of God's Grace.

Silver Cups of Desire bloomed across the earth.

A figure knelt in the sea of flowers, facing the deity before the distant mythological door.

"The age of gods is near. From among you, I will choose those worthy to carry my will."

"Some of you will become my apostles and inherit the Art of God's Grace."

"And this is only the beginning."

The god granted him and another the Art of God's Grace, then spoke again.

"This is not an era for me alone, nor for one or two people."

"This is not the era that came before."

"A new age has begun. I need all of you to join me in creating a future that belongs to alchemical power."

The scene faded.

The head was then devoured by the flesh mountain of the throne, disappearing without a trace.

Only then did Xiao finally raise his head. He placed the letter aside, his fingers tapping on the paper.

Comparing the two, he could confirm the authenticity and content of Yinsai's divine oracle.

"The Age of Wisdom has completely arrived."

"This is an era belonging to the gods, where they will compete across the earth, contending for the position of true god."

"The Wisdom Fruit serves as a key to unlock higher realms and a foundation for establishing the Mortal Divine System. To achieve this, however, one must hold one of the mythological doors tied to spirituality, wisdom, desire, or knowledge. One must also possess the status of a demigod."

Xiao looked toward the Door of Original Sin.

"However," Xiao murmured, a quiet resignation in his voice, "I lost my status as a demigod, along with the Door of Original Sin."

He paused, his gaze growing distant. "Now, I am nothing more than a Mythical Artifact."

The ceramic puppet quivered with unwilling emotion, seeming even angrier and more agitated than Xiao himself.

"Hateful! That Asai, and that Vivien..."

"God of Original Sin!" the ceramic puppet exclaimed, its voice trembling with urgency. "What are we going to do? Are we really giving up like this? Is there no chance for us?"

Xiao looked at the ceramic puppet, pressing the chattering, noisy thing down with one finger, as if silencing an annoying alarm clock.

"Be quiet."

The God of Original Sin, Xiao, gripped the puppet, playing with it in his hand.

He seemed casual, but he was contemplating seriously as he spoke.

"With anything, you must not look at the surface."

"You must look at its essence."

The God of Original Sin waved his hand, and before him appeared the scene he had once witnessed.

God's Moon opened like a door, revealing the Source of Wisdom.

Mysterious tree shadows grew from the source, bearing four fruits.

The ceramic puppet immediately shouted, "The Wisdom Fruit!"

"It is the essence of everything!"

"We must seize one! Then we can gain the chance to become a true god."

The ceramic figure was not very intelligent. It had already forgotten that Xiao had just said one must first have demigod status and a mythological door.

It was more like an emotionally intense, ugly plaything, a clown under the God of Original Sin, dancing ridiculous dances at his fingertips.

Xiao's mind raced.

As someone who had once pieced together the Path of Wisdom, Xiao was the first mortal to successfully break through and ascend the path to demigod.

The God of Original Sin's gaze fixed intently on the world behind that door, on the source from which all wisdom was born.

"No... The Source of Wisdom. That place is the essence of everything."

"All Spirits of Wisdom are born from there. All Wisdom Authority derives from there. It is the foundation that governs all things."

"The source of Wisdom's power. The source of Wisdom's mythology."

"It is... the external manifestation of the Creator's own spirit."

Xiao thought of the Trilobite People's mythology, the ancient stories he had heard since childhood.

According to Trilobite People mythology, the three gods received fragments of the Creator's authority, shaping the foundation of the original mythology.

Redlichia, the King of Wisdom, received God's Spirit, gaining the authority of the Wisdom Crown.

Shelly, the Mother of Life, received God's Form, thus possessing eternal life and the authority to create life.

Hila, the Dream Sovereign, received God's Domain, gaining the power to rule the Dream Realm and create miracles.

And at this moment, what Xiao saw was the most fundamental authority that Redlichia, the King of Wisdom, had inherited from the Creator Yinsai.

"Wisdom Fruit."

"Establish the Mortal Divine System."

"The Source of Wisdom."

"Spirituality, wisdom, desire, knowledge."

"The four fundamental laws of wisdom."

Xiao repeated these words again and again. They were the fundamental components of Wisdom Authority, stacked like a pyramid to build the current system.

Xiao looked at the Source of Wisdom and finally spoke.

"The Wisdom Fruit is just a surface manifestation. It must be a mark, a bestowal from God Yinsai."

"It is a passage that gives demigods the opportunity to touch the Source of Wisdom."

"Demigods possess incomplete immortality. If they could entrust themselves to the source, would they not then possess true immortality?"

Xiao's gaze grew increasingly sharp, his consciousness delving deeper.

Xiao had long ago pondered the difference between true gods and demigods, the gap that existed between incomplete and true immortality, and how true immortality could be achieved.

At last, it felt as though the pieces had fallen into place.

"Could there be another way to connect with the Source of Wisdom?"

"One that does not rely on the four fundamental laws or use the Wisdom Fruit as a gateway?"

Xiao spoke to himself.

"Is there a way?"

"Is there a way?"

"..."

He thought for a long time but could not find an answer.

He repeated the question endlessly, as though trapped in an infinite loop.

Behind the Door of Original Sin was a world with only filth, Xiao, and the ceramic puppet.

An empty world.

A lonely person.

Speaking repetitive words, doing repetitive things.

At this moment, the ceramic puppet heard someone praying to the Abyss from outside.

The ceramic puppet took out a booklet, adding another name to it.

"The damnable Abyss Oath."

"Trapping us here, not letting us go out."

The ceramic puppet spat the words viciously.

But Xiao suddenly stood up from the divine throne, looking at the ceramic puppet.

The ceramic puppet immediately froze, wondering if it had said something wrong again.

But a sudden realization struck Xiao. "The Abyss Race's oath?"

He spoke to himself again. "Yes."

"This oath comes from the Source of Wisdom, and it constrains every member of the Wisdom Race."

Xiao stood atop the Flesh and Blood Star, his gaze fixed on the world beyond the Door of Original Sin.

He surveyed the vast expanse of the Abyss, its endless depths stretching before him.

"No."

"Not a constraint."

"But... a protection."

Since becoming a Mythical Artifact, Xiao had always been searching for another path.

At that moment, he felt as though another path had revealed itself to him.

A path that did not belong to orthodoxy, but one that seemed equally viable.

But Xiao himself only had a vague concept, a mere idea. He did not know if it was feasible, much less how to proceed.

At this moment, the ceramic puppet again received prayers from mortals to the God of Original Sin.

The name was one it recognized instantly.

Xin Jisi.

Xin Jisi was praying to the God of Original Sin, for the God of Alchemy and Desire had already learned of the Elder of the City of Miracles's death and had dispatched Lamp Spirits to investigate.

The ceramic puppet asked, "What should we do? Will the God of Alchemy and Desire retaliate?"

Xiao showed no concern.

"If a believer falls, it simply means he originally belonged to the Abyss."

"The fallen belong to the Abyss. This is the power the Crown of Wisdom granted us."

"A demigod will not care about a single fallen believer. He might, however, care that I was the one who caused him to fall."

Xiao looked at Xin Jisi's name on the ceramic puppet's roster.

"It seems he is still far from becoming a true King of Greed."

"He is not greedy enough. He cannot bring the power of greed's original sin to its extreme. After devouring power just a few times, he will be unable to bear it."

"True greed," Xiao murmured, his voice thoughtful, "requires a heart vast enough to consume everything, to embrace all without limit."

"But his hunger..." Xiao paused, his gaze distant. "It is far too small."

The ceramic figure looked disgusted. "Then what use is he?"

Xiao pointed toward the mortal world.

"The mortal world is the true battlefield, the true ground for contending on the path to true godhood."

"I need a hand capable of interfering in the mortal world."

"Those who yearn for darkness, who yearn for corruption."

"We need something more."

"An Abyss Cult."

Sky Miracle Garden.

Iva, the God of Alchemy and Desire, sat beside the Golden Queen as they received the worship of the Lamp Spirits.

These Lamp Spirits had descended to the lower world, possessing believers to investigate the disappearance of the Elder of the City of Miracles.

One of the chosen preliminary apostles had mysteriously vanished.

No trace of his Lamp Spirit remained, leaving only unanswered questions.

There was clearly a problem, and it had drawn the attention of Iva, the God of Alchemy and Desire.

This was tied to his vision for establishing the Mortal Divine System. The two preliminary apostles were the foundation of this plan, the seeds from which everything would grow.

Xin Jisi had indeed not guessed wrong.

The God of Alchemy and Desire chose apostles to lay the foundation for the Mortal Divine System, seeking those who could later ascend to become mythological followers.

Iva asked the Lamp Spirit, "Who did it?"

The Lamp Spirit answered, "Great God of Alchemy, we investigated the place where the Elder of the City of Miracles last disappeared. We found traces of Abyss corruption."

"Someone opened a Door to the Abyss within the City of Miracles, unleashing its power and leaving behind malevolent traces."

"They also left a mark at the scene, a symbol belonging to an unknown force that seems to worship the Abyss and some evil god."

The Lamp Spirit projected an image for the God of Alchemy and Desire, showing an ouroboros mark.

This was the sinister emblem of corruption, a mark tied to the Abyss.

The God of Alchemy and Desire said nothing, already understanding what had happened.

The God of Original Sin had always been selecting new Abyss Kings in the mortal world. All the demigods knew this.

The Lamp Spirit continued, "At the same time, we discovered something else."

"The Elder of the City of Miracles and his son had ruthlessly killed several alchemists from the schools, imprisoning their lamp fires before extinguishing them."

"He was using extreme methods to suppress the school-faction alchemists."

Now even God Iva was confused. The elder had passed the test of faith. How could a true believer do such things?

What was this man trying to do?

He was persecuting one group of my believers while claiming to be one himself.

"What was he trying to achieve?"

"Had he fallen?"

"Had he abandoned his own faith and fallen into the Abyss?"

If that were the case, the answer would be simple.

But the Lamp Spirit corrected him. "Divine one, he had not fallen. He was murdered."

"From all we can tell, someone killed him."

The Lamp Spirit continued, "The reason he suppressed the school-faction alchemists was simple."

"He believed they were unworthy of entering your divine realm, God Iva."

God Iva was stunned. He had not expected that answer.

God Iva's initial anger gave way to a profound sense of confusion.

This was his believer?

The one he had chosen to be his future apostle? The one who might even become a mythological follower?

"Why would I choose such a person?"

The question lingered in Iva's mind, and it felt more important than the problem of the Abyss.

The Lamp Spirits disappeared one by one, returning to their individual lamps.

God Iva turned to the Golden Queen, his voice thoughtful. "Do you think he was truly devout?"

"The Cup of Desire told me he was a very devout believer."

The Elder of the City of Miracles had passed the inner test of the Cup of Desire. He himself had firmly believed he worshipped God Iva and was willing to give everything for his faith.

But was this so-called devotion truly the kind of faith Iva sought?

He suddenly realized he had not truly considered whom he should choose to become his apostle, to guide the future of alchemy.

The Golden Queen also perceived God Iva's mood.

God Iva was no longer the blank slate he had been when he first descended, and the Golden Queen was no longer the willful little girl she once was.

Everyone changes with time and the passing of years.

"I believe," she said thoughtfully, "that is not the kind of devotion you truly desire."

"That kind of self-righteous, self-centered devotion."