Chapter 428: Void and God, Deities and Humans

“Wang Yu, this space is losing its materiality.”

“Roland’s diary mentions something concerning Mr. Samuel.”

Wang Yu and Avia voiced their observations simultaneously, and the subjects they raised brought a flicker of surprise to each other.

“Is that so? Indeed, this space is shedding its materiality. It no longer possesses the capacity to carve a material domain out of the Void and shelter the living beings within. It seems that the fleeing, ‘living’ fortress is the linchpin maintaining this material realm.”

The diary could wait; Wang Yu first focused his senses on the space itself. The unique materiality that allowed this place to exist within the Void was fading by the second, gradually being assimilated by the nothingness, as mottled, deep-purple, translucent veins spread across the surroundings.

“Let us secure this space first, or the valuable items in this study will soon be tainted by the chaotic distortions of the Void, and the records within will be rewritten into indecipherable, incomprehensible gibberish.”

The girl kept a watchful eye on the study they occupied, reminding Wang Yu to use the power of the Chariot to shield this space within the domain of the Portal, protecting the data from erosion and assimilation just as they protected themselves.

“No problem. Let’s see what’s written in these records, then.”

The Portal manifested, its limited range encompassing the modest room. The process of erosion by the Void halted abruptly, and Wang Yu began to leaf through the items on the desk—things that appeared to be Roland’s journals.

“The materiality of this space is sustained by that fleeing barrier. Then, what is the key to forming materiality within the Void…”

The girl gazed into the Void, toward the direction where the living fortress had swiftly escaped, pondering the nature of this material realm. If this uniqueness stemmed from the fleeing fortress, what specific quality did that structure possess to manifest such a domain?

“Life…?”

Chewing on the word, she recalled Wang Yu’s earlier mention of why the fortress could not be interfered with by the Chariot’s power.

“Things that fall from the material world into the Void are assimilated quickly. If they are inanimate, they naturally offer no reaction. But what if they are alive?”

“After all, existence from the material world, in those brief moments before assimilation, can indeed still be called matter. Whether a living creature, through the act of resistance, can maintain its material state is a question worth debating.”

A vague, uncertain theory formed in the girl’s mind. Her gaze swept over Wang Yu, a faint curve touching the corner of her lips.

What am I thinking? This guy probably operates on a different principle.

“For so long, I have pondered a question. Whether through my own research, or that of my friends and the wizards who study the Void alongside me, our understanding of the Void is that its essence tends toward disorder and chaos.”

“To be eroded by the Void into chaotic distortion, until death, seems to be the inevitable end for us wizards. Though in return, at any stage of power, we possess the advantage of easier growth and more comprehensive abilities.”

“Yet, there is one type of existence I have long failed to understand. They are unique, strange, and seem not to follow this rule. Even their divine kingdoms, their very selves existing within the Void, are terrifyingly ‘orderly.’ They can even assist the intelligent beings of the material world in resisting the erosion of the Void—those deities.”

The notes on the desk were less of a diary and more of Roland’s casual reflections on his past endeavors.

Nodding slightly, Wang Yu realized he had pondered these same contents, though the catalysts for their inquiries differed. Wang Yu had realized it quickly due to his unusual relationship with the Lady of the Night; for Roland, it was likely born of his staggering erudition and insight.

“I have faced Void Evil Gods. I can discern a portion of their essence. Although they share the name of ‘God,’ they have nothing in common with true deities. Ultimately, these existences are merely exceptionally powerful creatures.”

“I quite like Yggdrasil’s assessment of gods: there are two kinds. One is called a god simply because of their power; the other is a god because human perception deems them so. Those deities belong to the latter.”

Raising an eyebrow, this greatest of wizards had helped Wang Yu define the Void Evil Gods—these beings were fundamentally different from true deities. Before this, Wang Yu hadn’t understood what these Void Evil Gods actually were.

As for the Yggdrasil mentioned by Roland, if Wang Yu remembered correctly, he was a rather famous writer from that era.

Reading on, Roland continued to dig into the uniqueness of gods in the Void. As a wizard, he was particularly curious about the origin of this special quality.

“I once had the fortune to glimpse the God of Light of the Church of Light. To my eyes, His form within the Void was a sphere of extreme brilliance. To all wizards, that is a thing one cannot approach. The power radiating from Him, while not killing us, scatters the energy we command.”

“This is an exceptionally powerful deity, and the one with the most followers. After all, He once, for reasons unknown, charged into the depths of the Void and slaughtered a great number of Void Evil Gods who had reached out their limbs toward the material world.”

“This extends to another point: the relationship between faith and deities. What connection does the faith of intelligent beings have with gods? Regarding faith, the Church of Light in this current era does not actually have as many followers as it did during the ‘Bound Cathedral’ period.”

“Yet, according to observations by the wizards I study with and friends within the Church of Light, the God of Light is trending upward—whether in terms of His individual size in the Void, the strength of the divine arts His followers can manifest, or the frequency of miracles.”

Wang Yu’s thoughts were stirred by Roland’s records. The things Roland pondered were indeed the foundational elements of this world—analogous to researching the essence of the “origin of magic.” It was fundamental, yet extremely profound.

The “Bound Cathedral” event mentioned here was the name of a specific period in the history of the Church of Light. During that time, the actions of the Church aligned with the biased descriptions of the Church of Light found in the literature Wang Yu had read on Earth.

Ecclesiastical power overriding royal authority, committing atrocities in the name of the divine will to satisfy their own desires, brainwashing the thoughts of believers and non-believers, judging heretics, and purging dissenters—the “Holy Gospel Theocracy” was a nation created by the extremist Church of Light during that era.

One could not say they were all fanatics, but overall, it was an incredibly abstract nation, perfectly fitting every prejudice Wang Yu held toward religion. However, one could glimpse the fate of that nation from the current Church of Light.

A group of enlightened paladin giants had hacked it down from top to bottom. The Church of Light was almost entirely dismantled and rebuilt. From then on, the rule of not interfering in the internal affairs of other kingdoms and cautiously practicing justice was formally written into the scriptures, gradually forming the Church of Light Wang Yu saw upon arriving in this world.

“This event itself is an exceptionally educational case, recorded and analyzed by many scholars. It also gave the Church of Light—a church that overthrew its own nearly unstoppable kingdom—a high degree of recognition and status on the continent. But my reflections were not placed upon this.”

“What I care about is the attitude displayed by the God of Light Himself during this affair. He seemed, from beginning to end, never to have shown a single miracle or sent down a single oracle. This was verified by my friend in the Church of Light; the God of Light never manifested Himself during the event.”

“It is very strange. The God of Light is considered one of the deities who displays the most miracles and oracles, yet in this event, which had such a massive impact on the Church of Light, He never exerted any power…”

“I have pondered this for a long time, and studied it with those wizards for a long time. I will not disturb my friend in the Church of Light for now; even for a man of his exceptional open-mindedness, this is still too blasphemous.”

“Perhaps it is because no matter the type of believer, even those who use the faith of the God of Light to plot their own affairs, they all believe the God of Light is the same entity. Therefore, regardless of their differences, they are all counted as His followers by the God of Light?”

“And later, as the number of followers decreased, the God of Light seemed to become even more powerful instead. The relationship between faith and gods, or rather, the relationship between intelligent beings and gods—what is it, exactly? This is something I am very eager to understand.”

“It is certain that faith concerns the power of gods. I have seen many weak deities who fell into silence due to the fading of faith. But what is faith, really? To others, this seems like a matter of little importance.”

“But for me, it is truly hard to suppress this curiosity. Because, perhaps if I understand what faith is, I will know why deities can maintain that order and stability in the Void, which is contrary to the essence of the Void itself. Then I can see what lies in the deepest depths of the Void. Haha, my overly exuberant curiosity…”

Seeing this, Wang Yu could sense Roland’s somewhat jubilant mood. His research into gods and the Void seemed to be reaching its peak. However, estimating the time, that era was drawing near.

“Abyssal creatures, another existence that breaks the chaotic and disordered essence of the Void. What exactly are these guys…”

A very brief sentence, indicating that the time Roland recorded these things had entered the period of the Abyss Campaign.

“I am sorry, Samuel. I am simply too eager to know what faith will bring. As the Firekeeper, you are the irreplaceable candidate. Forgive the messages I have spread to the outside world, my friend.”

As his gaze lingered on this line, Samuel’s body gradually took on the characteristics of the God of Knowledge. Was this the handiwork left behind by that fellow, Roland?