Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery.

Chapter 485 Advancement to "Hermit"

On an uninhabited island in the raging sea.

As soon as Odis placed the uniqueness of the "hermit" path and the characteristics of a "knowledge emperor" next to the nine works, they became a luminous, illusory liquid.

This is the potion that grants advancement to "Hermit".

Odis took a deep breath and drank it down in one gulp.

In that instant, Odis seemed to see a "sage" from a distant era walking toward him. He was dressed in a robe with an oriental charm, and looked serene and natural. As he walked, he spread a clear and bright light of knowledge to both sides.

Odis felt himself instantly enveloped in the radiance of knowledge, as if the "sages" of the past were about to replace him.

However, amidst the radiance of that knowledge, nine stars suddenly flew out and appeared between the "Sage" and Odis.

That represented Odis's nine books, leaving Odis momentarily unsure whether those nine books were the ritual texts or supplementary materials.
In theory, the ritual protects the consciousness of the ascendant, while the auxiliary materials soften the characteristics of the ascension.

However, the "Hermit's" ritual would obviously cause the past self to erode the present self, while the nine auxiliary materials could protect Odis well.

Odis then realized that it was because his situation was rather special. Although he possessed most of the "Sage's" memories and knowledge, he had always felt that he and the "Sage" were two different people.

Therefore, Odis believes that the fusion of the past "sage" with his present self is a form of erosion, while the other ascendants do not see it that way; they believe it is simply two selves becoming one.

Fortunately, after a brief standoff with Odis, the "sage" transformed into a clear, radiant light that spread outwards. In that instant, Odis felt the light around her explode, and in the fusion of spirituality and knowledge, a radiant lantern appeared in Odis's hand.

The lantern is decorated with mysterious and extraordinary symbols. Although it is a common tool, it gives people a feeling of transcending reality.

The bright light emitted by the kerosene lamp represents the continuous dissemination of knowledge.

Anyone or any deity near Odis can continuously acquire all sorts of knowledge. Of course, Odis can also choose to stop the process of spreading knowledge.

Suddenly, Odis felt as if he had seen a thousand years in a single glance, as if he had experienced all the time from the Common Era to the Fifth Age, possessing rich life experience and thousands of years of accumulated knowledge.

He became a "recluse".

……

In a seminary of the god of knowledge and wisdom.

A bishop is teaching the use of "Garbular Runes".

Since the Church of Knowledge obtained the "Gar Rune," it has treasured it greatly and has now spread it throughout the church, making a significant contribution to its dissemination.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed by, and everyone seemed to sense something, as if the symbols of the "Garr runes" were full of familiarity, knowledge that they couldn't wait to learn.

……

Republic of Intis, south of Trier.

The Remnburg army is racing against time to build pontoon bridges and force a crossing of the Serenzo River.

Across this great river, as far as the eye can see, lies Trier, the capital of Intis.

The enemy positions on the other side of the river have been completely cleared. Once we cross the river and assemble, we can attack the enemy capital.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and all the magic arrays on the "Extraordinary Puppet" and the "Intelligent Tank" were strengthened.

Medici, in the command vehicle, paused for a moment and said, "'The Hermit' has returned."

……

Backlund, Fight Club.

The coaches and students who were explaining the "Fighting Manual" suddenly felt as if they had mastered all the knowledge in the book.

They were momentarily stunned, wondering why this had happened.
……

At that moment, in almost every school, every training institution, and every place where knowledge is learned, people felt that knowledge became more concrete and easier to understand for a brief instant.

The knowledge in the books, in particular, seems to come alive, drilling into the students' minds.

……

Outside Fenneport, in a low-key but luxurious manor.

James I also sensed that fleeting, clear light. He smiled wryly, realizing that the world had gained a new deity.

This deity viewed Fennepot as an enemy.

……

On a mountain peak north of Trier.

Amon, who was leisurely sitting on a rock, ready to watch the show, saw a flash of clear light, adjusted his monocle, smiled, and said, "The war of the gods is about to begin!"

……

Among the Lenburg troops gathering on the north bank of the Serenzo River, Medici suddenly opened the window of his command vehicle and saw an illusory tower appear behind him.

Each level of the tower is composed of thick books, each with a brass-colored eye on it. The higher the level, the darker and more intense the atmosphere becomes, filled with an aura of madness, destruction, misfortune, and disaster. This tower stretches into the sky, as if it has enclosed the entire world within itself.

Medici and Terence, who had also gotten out of the car to check, exchanged a glance, their eyes seemingly saying: "You came so quickly?"

They knew very well that a new war of the gods might begin after President Odis became a god.

But they didn't expect the war of the gods to come so quickly!
At that moment, the sunlight in Trier's direction suddenly became dazzling, as if the sun had fallen from the sky to the ground. The intense golden sunlight made it impossible for anyone to open their eyes or have any other thoughts.

Medici immediately gave a loud order, commanding all the angels to protect the steel torrent of Remnantburg.

Although everyone felt that the tower and the sun were very close to them, their confrontation took place at the boundary between the astral plane and the real world above Trier.

With the protection of angels, the steel torrent could be prevented from being affected by the divine war.

But if a deity were to fall and fragments of its body happened to fall here, then things would be hard to say.

……

On the raging sea.

After Odis completed his advancement, he felt as if he were in a daze for a moment, and then he found that the trees and creatures around him had turned into data.

They still maintain their original shape, except that within the shape of trees or creatures, there are constantly moving data streams composed of "0" and "1".

Odis smiled, then suddenly raised his hand, restoring everything to its original state.

If no one stops him, the entire world can be digitized by him.

He took a deep breath and immediately began to sense his new abilities after the promotion.

First, Odis discovered that the authority he had acquired did not only represent the authority of knowledge, but also the mystery and concealment of spirituality.

The whole world is filled with spirituality, but ordinary people cannot see it. Even extraordinary beings through many pathways can only clearly see or feel spirituality after reaching the "middle sequence".

Therefore, spirituality has the characteristic of being "hidden," which can only be manifested after one obtains authority at the level of a true god.

If Odis wanted to hide, he could hide even better than the "Hidden Sage." Even if one could divine his location, it would be impossible to detect exactly where he was.

Odis intended to name this ability "blending with the light and dust," because he could truly hide behind the "back" of this world, or rather, within the underlying knowledge that constitutes this world, just like a spirit. As long as he did not launch an attack, even the true gods would find it difficult to discover him.

The mysterious aspect of spirituality can be seen as "knowledge itself." In mysticism, knowledge manifests as a clear and bright radiance, and this radiance is always present with spirituality.

Or, to put it another way, spirituality is the carrier of knowledge, and knowledge is the manifestation of spirituality. As long as knowledge exists in the real world, it will manifest a corresponding radiance in the spiritual realm.

Before becoming a true god, the knowledge-based authority obtained by "sages" and "knowledge emperors" is merely the superficial authority of the "hermit" path. The true authority of this path is spirituality, and knowledge is just a manifestation of spirituality.

Odis suddenly realized that the "Hermit" was the one who restrained the "Prisoner" pathway of the "Divine Abomination" sequence. One of the most important abilities of this sequence was to create a "spiritual barrier" through the control of spirituality.

The "Hermit" can easily dismantle the barriers created by the "Divine Evil"!

He smiled and continued to look at the other abilities he had acquired. There were two other abilities, and Odis already knew about them when he was researching the "Hidden Sage".

Those two abilities are, firstly, the mastery of "0", and secondly, the ability to revive using "backup data".

However, after becoming a true "hermit," Odis wielded more comprehensive and thorough power than the "Hidden Sage"!

For example, with his mastery of "0", Odis could not only create large areas of "chaos", but also turn "existence" into "non-existence".

For example, if an opponent uses an extraordinary ability, it is in a "present" state as soon as it is used, but Odis can make the extraordinary ability disappear and become "nothing".

Only the power wielded by the gods through their own authority can rival Odis's power.

Odis could easily and quickly transform from "having" to "not having" to gain sufficient advantage, or even further transform from "not having" to "having" to make the surrounding environment favorable to him.

As for "backup data", Odis can quickly complete the resurrection process, whether it is activated actively or passively.

Saying it was "resurrected" doesn't seem quite accurate; it's more like waking up in one's own clone.

There will be no errors or data loss during the first three times you start "backup data", it can be said to be a "lossless revival".

The extent of data loss and corruption during the next five uses of "backup data" can be remedied, and it is not until the ninth use of this ability that Odis's condition will be seriously affected.

This is much better than "Hidden Sage," it's like having eight more lives.

However, it's best to avoid using the latter five times if possible. Although it can be remedied, it will definitely cause some negative effects.

These are the main powers and abilities. In addition, knowledge-based abilities have undergone a qualitative change. Previously, the goal was to fill the target's brain with knowledge and burst their mind.

Now, while imparting knowledge to the target, one can also instill spirituality, causing permanent damage to the other person's thinking or permanently affecting their state of mind.

The ability to "reproduce" is no longer Odis's main offensive capability; "datafication" is.

Compared to the previous "knowledge-based" approach, the "data-based" approach is more thorough in dismantling opponents, has a wider range of impact, and most importantly, is faster!

There are many other "small abilities," such as changing simple knowledge into complex knowledge, or modifying common-sense knowledge, in order to confuse the target's logic and cause them to make the wrong choice, or to create opportunities for Odysseus.

Odis breathed a sigh of relief. Overall, the qualitative change brought about by this promotion was quite significant.

Whether in terms of ability or authority, there has been a comprehensive improvement.

The key point is that Odis could clearly feel the changes happening to himself. He felt that he had become supreme in some ways, or rather, connected with the whole world.

He is fully aware of any changes that occur in the world regarding spirituality or knowledge.

This is the part about Odis's divinity. It seems that the divinity is still within an acceptable range, but it has become more obvious than before.

If Odis were to carefully distinguish between spiritual aspects, he could realize that divinity has two parts: one part belongs to the "original creator" and the other part belongs to the "sages".

The “original” part seems to have no activity, like a complete bystander. Odis knows that He is there, but He will not interfere no matter what happens.

Although the "sage's" part possesses a certain degree of activity, because His main consciousness has been sealed, the remaining part, which lies in His uniqueness and extraordinary characteristics, can be easily suppressed by Odis without affecting His state.

Thinking of this, Odis smiled, feeling that her current state was quite good among the gods. At this moment, Odis noticed that a tall tower, which could be vaguely seen even from the raging sea, suddenly appeared in the direction of the northern continent, and the sunlight there became extremely scorching.

Immediately afterwards, it seemed as if a small wave suddenly appeared on the sea, and the previously cloudless sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds and a strong wind began to blow.

This clearly shows that the "Lord of Storms" is also unleashing his power.

Odis took a deep breath, immediately backed up himself, and put the "backup data" into the "wilderness of knowledge".

Then he immediately went to Trier.

……

The skies above Trier.

An old man, as tall as a giant, emerged from the tower. He wore a hood, obscuring his face, with only a long beard hanging down his chest.

This is a humanoid image of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom," holding a bronze book in his left hand. It is the "Book of Knowledge" created by the "Sage," which is said to contain all-encompassing knowledge and is a perfect match for the "White Tower."

Behind the "God of Knowledge" is an ancient and weathered stone slab that looks very high and distant, as if it is connected to some amazing power.

The next second, a young man with golden hair walked out from the scorching sunlight. He had a tall and straight figure, long limbs, and a very sunny, brave, and high-spirited temperament.

The young man held a ball of pure white light in his hand, which seemed to be able to dispel all evil and coldness.

This is the humanoid form of the "Eternal Sun"!

Immediately afterwards, a black curtain appeared from the scorching sunlight, blocking out a large area of ​​sunlight.

Behind the curtain, there was a blurry shadow, an inverted cross, on which a giant seemed to lie stiffly.

The moment the curtain appeared, the surroundings seemed to be filled with madness, chaos, and depravity, and even the sunlight of the "Eternal Sun" could not dispel these negative energies.

This is a humanoid image of the "true creator".

The "Eternal Sun" and the "True Creator" rushed toward the "God of Knowledge," and miniature suns appeared in the sunlight, emitting pure white rays around the "God of Knowledge."

The ordinary people of Trier, with their weak spirituality, also kept their heads bowed, not looking at the sky, because even a glance at those pure white rays would completely purify their souls, either causing them to mutate or turn them into fools who could only praise the sun.

The eyes of the "God of Knowledge" behind its hood emitted a bronze light, having now completely analyzed the attack of the "Eternal Sun".

Then the "Book of Knowledge" in His hand floated up and turned its pages on its own. One by one, clear mystical symbols surged out and spun rapidly around the "God of Knowledge," then formed illusory mirrors that reflected all the rays back.

Almost simultaneously, a black curtain swept over, as if to cover the "God of Knowledge" and the entire "White Tower".

The "Blasphemy Slab" behind the "God of Knowledge" flew to the front, emitting an illusory radiance, blocking the "True Creator's" front. Then, with the blessing of the "Blasphemy Slab," the "God of Knowledge" was able to deflect the pure white rays of those miniature suns and shine them onto the black curtain, creating violent ripples on the curtain.

The battle between the three gods caused the space to ripple. At times, the sun shone brightly in the sky, at other times it seemed to be covered by a layer of gauze, and at still other times it emitted a bronze glow.

The God of Knowledge used the Profaned Slate to temporarily hold back the Eternal Sun and the True Creator.

……

Meanwhile, at sea.

Thick, dark clouds are heading towards Trier; wherever the "Lord of Storms" goes, the clouds blot out the sun, as if night has fallen prematurely.

Directly ahead of the dark clouds appeared a magnificent and enormous church, with towering black stone pillars.

From the outside, one can vaguely see that inside the church, every pillar, every arch, and every dome is inlaid with bones from different races, densely packed together, surrounding a cross that is over a hundred meters long. In front of the cross are rows of black, backed chairs. Far from being eerie, the atmosphere is filled with a sense of holiness.

A priest, dressed in a simple white robe, with a thick, light gold beard covering the lower half of his face, and clear, innocent golden eyes like a baby, and a silver cross pendant hanging on his chest, slowly rose from his chair and looked at the dark clouds in the distance.

Adam! And His Church of Bones!

Under Adam's gaze, the dark clouds rolled away, and amidst the lightning and thunder, a rather majestic middle-aged man appeared. He was dressed in black armor, standing on the churning waves within the dark clouds, surrounded by storms, with lightning flashing behind him, and holding a trident.

The Lord of Storms was somewhat surprised, not expecting his opponent to be Adam.

Then He raised His trident, and a silvery-white forest instantly covered the entire Church of Bones. At that moment, transparent, distorted faces appeared on the church's walls, windows, and doors, all staring at the lightning bolts. As if they had come to life, the lightning bolts all avoided the Church of Bones.

……

Back over Trier.

In the battle between the three gods, including the "God of Knowledge," the "God of Knowledge" gradually began to retreat under the attacks of the "Eternal Sun" and the "True Creator."

The scorching sun and the black curtain of darkness gradually gained the upper hand, suppressing the brassy light.

At this moment, Odis finally arrived, and his appearance brought a clear, bright light to the sky.

The bright light emanated from the lantern in Odis's hand. After being promoted to "Hermit", the form of the lantern in Odis's hand changed. As long as he held this special lantern, it was as if he was manifesting the state of a mythical creature.

Or rather, the function of this lantern is similar to that of a monocle on Amon's face, serving as his unique external expression.

As soon as Odis appeared, a series of dim, unclear, and colorless lights appeared opposite him, seemingly composed of a vast amount of illusory things.

In the dim light, one after another seemingly thin scroll appeared, yet it gave people an extremely profound feeling, as if it carried the enlightenment and development of civilization and human society at different classes.

The "God of Steam and Machinery" rarely appears in this manner. He knows very well that Odis has the help of the "Wilderness of Knowledge," and only by exerting all his strength can he have any chance of winning.

In an instant, the clear radiance and the hazy glimmer collided, and both radiance and glimmer returned to their illusory state, spreading outwards in a spiritual way.

The next second, a section of the sky suddenly turned black, and night fell early.

Then appeared a field with deep sleep flowers and night-blooming herbs, a "Goddess of the Night" wearing a dark dress adorned with stars, holding a black giant scythe, a twilight-colored greatsword, representing the "hidden" nothingness, and clutching an ancient golden ornament.

Beyond the black curtain appeared a woman over ten meters tall, dressed in a long dress that looked like it was made of white bones. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, and her black hair was like a poisonous giant snake—long, thick, and slippery.

The top of it either has a snake's head growing directly on it, or has rolling black and white eyes, and everything around it turns to stone, releasing all sorts of mystical pathogens.

It was actually the "Primordial Witch"!
The "Goddess of Night" immediately engaged the evil god in battle.

In response, the "Eternal Sun" sighed, saying that if there were no other way, He would never have cooperated with the "True Creator" and the "Primordial Witch".

His sense of justice forbade him to do so.

But when it comes to survival, justice has to take a backseat.

On Odis's side, a fierce battle broke out right from the start.

From the hazy, clear light, more than a dozen scrolls stretched out. These scrolls looked thin, yet they seemed to contain the weight and breadth of thousands or tens of thousands of years of civilization, and the history left by generations of humankind, numbering in the hundreds of millions, was so vast and magnificent.

The screen displays a series of dynamic images: some depicting humans battling wild beasts and nature in a primitive era; others showing human groups migrating and surviving amidst extraordinary creatures; still others showing people bravely fighting against extraordinary beings under the guidance of a giant cross; and still others depicting massive factories in the industrial age, billowing thick plumes of smoke from their enormous chimneys…

One after another, heavy images swept towards Odis, and the lantern in Odis's hand suddenly lit up with a bright light, which then formed a huge ball of light. The paintings dared not approach and could only circle around the ball of light.

Thus, a strange scene was formed, with Odis acting like a beacon, illuminating the images in the scrolls.

Suddenly, some new content was added to the scroll. In a primitive era, a tall, hooded figure appeared, carrying a lamp representing knowledge. He taught everyone how to make fire and how to make tools, illuminating the path for mankind.

Among the migrating crowd, a tall, hooded figure appeared and taught everyone how to draw magic circles and how to fight extraordinary creatures with the power of the group.

Guided by the enormous cross, a bright lantern illuminated everyone with its clear light, ensuring they remained rational...

Those were all things that the "Sage" actually did, but some of them were forgotten because during the "Great Cataclysm," a large amount of extraordinary data was destroyed and lost, and people have forgotten the figure who illuminated the way for humanity.

Some were deliberately hidden away, as some deities did not want people to remember that guiding light.

Under the bright light, the paintings became distorted and moved slowly.

The next second, all the images in the scroll turned into streams of data composed of "0" and "1".

But the scroll itself remained, with a row of icons resembling file shredders appearing on one side. Data streams were rapidly shredded, leaving the scroll empty, as if nothing had ever been there.

The lamp in Odis's hand suddenly transformed, becoming like a projector, projecting constantly changing images onto the surroundings.

Some of those images showed a boy using his paintbrush to draw a strongman holding a hammer and smashing an icon of a crusher.

Mystery Reappears: Ma Liang's Magic Paintbrush!
Some depict the Monkey King wielding a Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff), wearing a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a golden chainmail armor, and lotus-silk cloud-walking boots. He smashes several document shredder icons with his staff and even punches a large hole in the scroll!

Mysterious Reappearance: The Monkey King Returns!
In addition to these two figures, Odis also "recreated" three other figures: the "Black Emperor," the "Blood Emperor," and the "Night Emperor."

In an instant, most of the scroll was torn apart by these figures, becoming fragmented and scattered.

For Odis, this experience was somewhat like watching a movie when the screen suddenly ripped apart, even breaking into several pieces.

Then, with a "poof," all the paintings turned into streams of data, signifying that Odis had won this round of battle.

The bright, clear light instantly overwhelmed the hazy, clear light!

The light suddenly began to churn, and one of the clusters within it suddenly became even brighter.

This bright light seemed to contain infinite knowledge and suddenly became very profound, as if illuminating all the darkest moments in the course of human development.

All those who see this light, whether human or divine, unconsciously want to interpret it, eagerly want to understand the rules of civilization's development, and eagerly want to avoid repeating humanity's mistakes.

Even Odis was no exception; he was deeply attracted by the light and wanted to decipher its mysteries and find a way to solve all of humanity's current problems.

This ability is called "Light of Civilization," which is somewhat similar to the knowledge-instilling ability of the "Hermit" path, but completely different. It mainly attacks the target's logical thinking ability, somewhat like brainwashing people, making them think about problems according to the logic of the "God of Steam."

Just as Odis was contemplating all the problems facing humanity, a phantom book flew in from the hazy, clear light.

The book flew to the top of Odis's head, opened on its own, and emitted an illusory light, as if trying to trap Odis inside.

But at that moment, Odis suddenly came to his senses, because he now represented a guiding light in the midst of confusion, and would not remain lost for long due to the design flaws of the "God of Steam".

But in the next instant, Odis flew into the book on his own!
A hand emerged from the hazy, clear light, making a fist. The illusory book immediately closed, and then mysterious symbols emerged from its exterior, forming layer upon layer of sealing arrays.

The next second, the book began to vibrate violently, and a clear light shone through the gaps between the pages...

bang~
The sealing array exploded and scattered, and the fantasy books shattered instantly.

Odis, carrying a lantern, stepped out from a page of a book, as if he had stepped from illusion into reality.

"Sigh~" The "God of Steam" sighed, finally realizing that he could not win. Although Odis had not yet absorbed the "Wilderness of Knowledge", he could borrow its power, which made him slightly stronger than the "God of Steam".

The "God of Steam" was not giving up and quickly returned to the Astral Plane, back to his own divine kingdom.

Meanwhile, the divine battle above Trier also changed.

"Eternal Sun" believed that "Mother Earth" would descend upon Trier to help "God of Knowledge" fight against "True Creator".

However, the "Earth Mother Goddess" did not appear for a long time, so the "Eternal Sun" continued to attack fiercely, trying to wound the "God of Knowledge" before the "Earth Mother Goddess" appeared.

Just then, the "Eternal Sun" suddenly sensed danger; the veil of the "True Creator" suddenly attacked Him!

(End of this chapter)