Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 372 The Twelve Dukes

"Enter the temple..."

Han Su's spirits lifted, and he immediately agreed.

Admittedly, while there was a pleasant surprise, it was also quite unexpected.

In his mind, the itinerant knights had always been the private soldiers of nobles, but now it seemed that they were not the type to completely obey those nobles or guardians. Whether speaking or acting, they put the rules first.

Miss Ai seemed to notice Han Su's surprise and silently sent a message explaining: "Life Line 04, our survivor team has clashed with the Traveling Knights many times."

"It must be admitted that these people are the elite of the elite, having fought their way up from all over the country. In particular, those captains almost all have the courage and audacity to confront the twelve abnormal forces on their own."

"And when facing such an elite group, even the nobles need to be careful."

"The Guardians of the World have great ambitions. They are trying to gather the world's elites to work for them, but these elites are also extremely proud."

"Initially, what attracted these elites was to grant them noble titles and to show them forbidden knowledge and authority in order to gain their loyalty."

"Unfortunately, they soon discovered a problem: the more elite a person is, the more arrogant they become, and the more arrogant a person is, the less likely they are to be loyal, especially when they see the people they are supposed to serve doing stupid things."

"As a result, strict rules and laws have to be created, because only rules can restrain the elite."

"..."

Han Su silently understood the message Miss Ai was conveying to him, and followed the two into Lin Yuan City. In the distance, he saw that Xu Ji had already been picked up and put into a black car, entering the city from the front.

These two itinerant knights, outside the city, chanted an ancient incantation, which allowed them to directly breach the city's defenses from the outside, casting long shadows as they entered the city as if returning home.

Afterwards, the two of them did not contact the investigators in the city, but went straight to the top floor of a high-rise building.

He sat down in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, seemingly to rest.

Han Su smiled and said, "I'm a newbie. Could you two seniors give me some pointers on how to do this task?"

"It's very simple."

The deputy captain, Shen Qinghui, looked up at Han Su, and for some reason, Han Su felt that her features were somewhat familiar.

The vice-captain seemed to be sizing him up as well, and slowly replied, "Including the one you just brought, all thirteen candidates of the Golden Knight family have arrived. The awarding ceremony will be held in three days."

"We have no right to interfere with the specifics of the ceremony, but we can be certain that there are some mysterious forces that do not want this ceremony to go smoothly."

"The Disaster Management Bureau of Lin Yuan City has recalled its seven independent investigators and will officially seal off the city's physical defenses tonight."

"At that time, only our independent passwords as itinerant knights will be allowed to enter and leave the city. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that those who disrupt the ritual may be able to force their way in. Our mission is to eliminate these outsiders at all costs."

"Moreover, it would be best to take them down outside the city."

"..."

Han Su raised an eyebrow: "These are all powerful families and important figures in first-tier cities. How dare someone cause trouble for them?"

"Ha ha……"

The vice-captain didn't speak, but the team member codenamed Voodoo sneered and said, "That's what people who have stayed in second-tier cities for too long are like. They're too comfortable. They usually just investigate and clean up some mutants and never see any truly dangerous characters."

"When I was first recommended, I couldn't imagine how anyone could dare to provoke the itinerant knights and the high and mighty nobles, but now..."

He shook his head and said, "There are not only such people, but many of them, and they are extremely difficult to deal with!"

"Speaking of which, didn't your Qinggang also cause trouble for the Tongwen Church?"

"It's essentially the same thing. Do you think everyone will be convinced just because the Golden Knight family possesses something so important?"

"..."

"Voodoo!"

Seeing that the man was talking non-stop, his expression gradually changed from disdain to a bit of interest in the conversation, the deputy captain Shen Qinghui next to him interrupted him in a low voice.

Checking the time, she sensed it was time, so she got up and walked to the shadows in the corner. She muttered an incantation, reached her hand into the shadows, and as if by magic, produced a golden coin. Turning to Han Su, she said:

"Since you have accepted the invitation, you are now considered an apprentice of the Traveling Knights. I will tell you some of the simplest rules."

"First, once you join the Circulating Knights, you can choose to continue using your previous code name or start a new one. After being promoted to vice-captain or captain, you can consider using your original name again. This is a special honor for the Knight Commander."

"During your internship, you don't need to follow those tedious rules and regulations, but there is one thing you must abide by: confidentiality!"

"For mission purposes, we will share some information about the Golden Knight family with you, but you must remember that everything you see is highly classified."

"If this information is leaked, not only will the crimson power backfire on you, but it may also alert the power of the Supreme Contract. The consequences are something you absolutely cannot bear right now. Therefore, you must digest this information yourself."

"...Of course, you can communicate with the two of us. It's not against the rules for teammates to discuss things, but there should be limits. Only have necessary discussions, and don't go on and on like Voodoo does."

"..."

"I know."

Han Su looked at the golden tube in her hand and felt it was extremely strange. It was covered with red patterns that kept wriggling.

He was not unfamiliar with these blood streaks; they were the power of crimson.

"You can go to the room over there to rest and learn about the mission. After midnight, when the physical defenses of Lin Yuan City are completely closed, that will be the time for us to begin our operation. At that time, I will assign you a relevant sector to guard."

"..."

Han Su took the golden tube and went to the room assigned to him. He looked at himself in the mirror for a minute, then casually poured himself a glass of water and sat down.

Holding the golden cylinder in his hand, he could feel the strange activity of the crimson power on it. However, these blood vessels would not interact with him until he opened the golden cylinder.

Information about the Golden Knight family?

This is the closest information I've come to regarding the legendary twelve knights...

Han Su's expression was somewhat solemn as he asked in a low voice, "Miss Ai, is it alright to see?"

He glanced at the water glass and was surprised to find it completely undisturbed. This struck him as odd. The two men had been tracking and observing him the whole way here, but now that they had made contact, they seemed to have stopped spying on him. Was this a rule of the knights?

"Of course, I can give you some more information."

Miss Ai's message appeared on the phone: "I also have some understanding of the rules and taboos of Scarlet."

“Discussing with me will not trigger a backlash from these forces.”

"..."

Han Su nodded and slowly opened the golden cylinder. The next moment, accompanied by the writhing of scarlet blood vessels, a parchment scroll was revealed inside.

The text above was the activity text. Upon slight contact, a series of messages began to be transmitted into his mind. Han Su was quite surprised that the traveling knights' method of transmitting information was actually achieved through the spiritual activity sealed on the parchment.

"Gold, Divine Eye, Black Arm, High Heaven, Penitentiary Codex, Leviathan, Obsession, Mayflower, Light, R'lyeh, Whale, and... Eternity?"

These are the titles of the twelve legendary knights who once rebuilt civilization with the emperor.
Perhaps because he knew the status and mystery of these people, Han Su felt a sense of heaviness just from touching their titles.

"That's right, it's these twelve people."

Miss Ai also spoke softly, directly using her voice, and one could even detect a hint of melancholy in her tone: "They are the heroes who rebuilt civilization, and also the world's first twelve nobles."

"The reconstruction of civilization has been going on for more than two thousand years. The number of marquises, earls, viscounts and barons has been increasing at an alarming rate. There are already several hundred marquises in the world."

"But only these twelve Grand Dukes remain unchanged since the beginning of civilization. Only these twelve stand at the pinnacle of the world, above the entire civilization."

"..."

Han Su frowned slightly and asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time: "Then why start this so-called selection at this time?"

Miss Ai replied softly, "Because these twelve seats are usually vacant."

Han Su asked in surprise, "Why?"

"Because these twelve titles are of paramount importance, wield too much power, and are watched by too many people, they are tacitly left vacant."

Miss Ai replied, "In the 04th lifeline, those who took action to restart civilization were not actually the Twelve Dukes, but just the World Council acting under the names of the Twelve Dukes."

"And on this life's journey, the tide is coming, and they are just making plans in advance. Of course, rather than being the Grand Duke, they are just finding someone to take charge of the sacred relics."

"A relic?"

"Yes, you can also understand it as authority!"

Miss Ai slowly explained: "This is something that can be traced back to the war of the gods before the reconstruction of civilization. In the 04th life line, I know that you have glimpsed part of the history of the world-destroying machines, but there are some things that I only learned after I came here."

"Before that war began, neither the emperor nor the twelve dukes were a match for those gods..."

"..."

Han Su couldn't help but interrupt: "You mean...the gods?"

He was even a little curious whether it was Li Manman or Miss Ai who uttered the word "god".
Humans seem to utter these two words only when they are emotional, while machines, which represent reason, do not.

"That's right, it's a god!"

Miss Ai slowly replied, "They are also the twelve most powerful individuals that I... or rather, the Doomsday Machine, have ever encountered." "In that endless history, civilization cleansing has been carried out many times. The power of the Doomsday Machine is beyond doubt. However, there are always some special mutants who can survive the cleansing and be resurrected."

"Some survived one purge, some survived two... but in each purge, twelve outcasts survived again and again, becoming the most powerful survivors."

"And the power they wield has grown stronger with each cleansing. From initially evading the cleansing, they have come to resist the cleansing and even directly confront the world-destroying machines, attempting to destroy them in return."

"Even today, many relics they left behind can be seen in this world: shadows, abysses, warp, and whispers of the gods are all remnants of their former power. So many active and mysterious believers are also remnants of their will!"

"Can you imagine how an emperor could possibly win against such an enemy?"

"..."

"The key to victory, wasn't it that the emperor obtained the heart of the world-destroying machine?"

"Yes, that's just the first step to victory."

Miss Ai said, "But in the end, it was the emperor's strategy that led to victory."

"The twelve gods are incomparably powerful, but things that are too powerful lack tolerance for each other. Therefore, as beings that are high above, they are also unable to tolerate each other."

"In fact, the resentment and disgust among the twelve gods was no less than their fear of the world-destroying machine."

"In a sense, if the twelve gods had learned to join forces earlier, the world-destroying machine might have been destroyed by them long ago."

"The emperor at that time seized this opportunity. He first stirred up conflicts and wars among the various gods, then led the human camp to move between these battlefields, and used the heart of the world-destroying machine to begin stealing the power of the gods."

"With each item stolen, the human camp's chances of winning increased by one point. At that time, each of the twelve knights received a weapon bestowed by the emperor, and these weapons corresponded to the power of the twelve gods."

"This is the only bargaining chip that the human camp can obtain on the surface."

"Later, the World Pact was signed and the reconstruction of civilization began. The Twelve Knights became Twelve Grand Dukes. The weapons they used to defeat the gods were passed down from generation to generation in their descendants and were called holy relics."

"These sacred relics are the most fundamental source of power for nobles, and also the key to their ability to restrain and utilize the power of the gods."

"However, with the position of Grand Duke vacant, the Guardians of the World can unseal and use these relics, but they cannot unleash their true power."

"Only when the people they choose truly wield the relic can its full power be unleashed and they will receive the title of Grand Duke. At that time, they may even be able to amend the World Contract and recreate civilization."

"And after the birth of a new civilization, these twelve people who wield the sacred relics will become the new Twelve Knights."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Han Su frowned deeply: "If it's that important, why have they kept this position vacant for so long?"

"Because the competition is too fierce..."

When Miss Ai got to this point, her voice seemed to carry a sigh: "Take the Golden Knight, for example. He had three children, two sons and one daughter. The two sons inherited the surname Xu, while the daughter later married a man surnamed An."

"All three obtained the title of marquis and believed they were qualified to inherit the title of Golden Grand Knight. The three fought for many years, and in the end, the knight's daughter won."

"However, the descendants of these three children, and their descendants' descendants, refused to give up and fought for many years."

"The more candidates compete, the fiercer the battles become; many wars in history have been sparked by this..."

"And here's the ridiculous part: in order to seal the emperor, the twelve grand dukes erased all relevant history, not even the history of the first few hundred years of the rebuilt civilization. This blank history has led to all sorts of chaos."

"One manifestation of the chaos is that the emperor's bloodline has mixed with the bloodlines of the twelve dukes' descendants. The second manifestation is that the number of families qualified to inherit the title of duke is increasing, to the point that they are almost fighting tooth and nail."

"The most intense struggle occurred a thousand years ago, when several wars of annihilation took place in the world. In essence, these wars were the conscious efforts of the Guardians of the World to eliminate the bloodline of dukes."

"It was from that time that the bloodline of marquises began to be strictly controlled, but even so, there are still twelve people who hold the title of marquis, which means they are qualified to inherit the title of grand duke. Of course, if you add Mr. Xu Ji, there are thirteen."

"Now, the most interesting part of the situation is actually here."

"Actually, the people who attacked Mr. Xu Ji along the way, wanting to kill him, did not think he was truly qualified to take control of the sacred relic. What they wanted was the marquisate title passed down from Mr. Xu Ji's family."

"After all, although their lineage has been found to have the blood of the emperor, the title of marquis cannot be stripped away. As long as Mr. Xu Ji dies, this title will be very valuable."

"But no one expected that his bloodline would be so special..."

"..."

"That's what I'm curious about too..."

Han Su suddenly spoke up: "Xu Ji is not only a descendant of the emperor, but also has a lot of imperial blood or ancestral substances in his body due to some secret experiments. How could those people allow him, who has imperial blood, to come into contact with the sacred relics?"

"The reason is simple..."

Miss Ai replied softly, “Those noble lords are worried that the relic will be taken by someone they cannot control, thus losing their power, but they are also worried that none of the candidates they have chosen will be able to gain the relic’s approval.”

"That would not only make them a laughing stock in the aristocratic circles, but it would also affect the legitimacy of their succession to the Grand Duke's throne."

"Therefore, when he recites the incantation I taught him, he will certainly be valued."

"..."

"Incantation..."

Han Su spoke softly: "All for the throne..."

"What is this incantation?"

"..."

Miss Ai's answer even carried a hint of pride: "It is the first spell in the Abyss Sequence. Only those with noble bloodlines, and those with ancient noble bloodlines, can activate this spell. It is also their unique life code."

"This incantation can effectively suppress the awakening of mystical consciousness, and it is also an irreplaceable symbol of identity for those nobles!"

"but……"

Han Su suddenly realized something, and Wei Sheng exclaimed in surprise, "But the ancestral substance in Xu Ji's body isn't innate..."

"Yes, that's what interests me the most."

Miss Ai said softly, "That eccentric doctor is a terrifying genius..."

"I'm still not entirely sure whether the appearance of this special noble bloodline means he has unlocked the bloodline code of the ancient nobility..."

"But if he did it..."

"..."

Han Su took a deep breath: "What will happen?"

Miss Ai said softly, "He will undermine the legitimacy of all nobles in this world and in the face of the World Contract!"

To undermine the legitimacy of those nobles who held such a high position?
Upon hearing this, even Han Su was somewhat surprised. With his current knowledge, he couldn't even imagine the enormous impact behind those words.

But this seems to perfectly align with that eccentric doctor's ambitions...

He remained silent for a long time, stroking the parchment in his hand, and said in a low voice, "So, what do you think is the probability of Xu Ji winning the election?"

"His strengths are unique, but his identity is also unique among the thirteen candidates."

Miss Ai replied softly, "If it were you, Mr. Butcher, someone who has been raised as a Grand Duke since childhood, someone who has been supported and backed by countless people, and suddenly you see a wild child vying for your title, what would you think?"

"And what's more, this wild child has a face that is almost exactly the same as his own?"

"..."

Han Su nodded slightly and also saw the candidates for Grand Duke on the parchment. In particular, the one ranked first was named Xu Qiao, the eldest son of the Xu family of Leshan in Linyuan City.

I've seen this person before on Lifeline 04. He was following the High Priest of the Guardians of the World, and his status was extraordinary.

Most importantly, due to some mysterious factor, he looks remarkably similar to Xu Ji.

Slowly, a strange ambition flashed in Han Su's eyes, and he slowly spoke: "No matter what, Xu Ji now has a chance to take control of the sacred relic, as long as he defeats all the other candidates?"

Miss Ai answered softly, "Yes!"

……

……

While Han Su was processing the mission-related information, in the next living room, Vice Captain Shen Qinghui and team member Wudu sat quietly, remaining silent for a long time, until Wudu couldn't hold back any longer and lowered his voice to ask her, "Is that all?"

"What exactly does Captain 300 mean? We haven't even figured out this intern's background, yet we want to recruit him into the mission?"

"..."

"The captain's meaning is very clear!"

Shen Qinghui slowly spoke: "It is important to find out his background, but he is just a child after all. It is not worth us, the patrol knights, doing anything undignified just to see him clearly."

"The important thing is to use his identity to lure out that eccentric doctor!"

"Under what circumstances would that eccentric doctor have to appear before us, as a father?"

(End of this chapter)