Chapter 228 — Beyond the Edge of Mortal Civilization

Another bishop added from the side: "In addition, the Children of the Storm's observation post at sea has sent intelligence. They observed phenomena that cannot be explained—the tide had already risen, the power of the god had begun surging in the deep sea, but then everything unnaturally quieted down."

"So we cannot blindly deny the 'prophecy,'" a third bishop spoke up. "All the signs match the first half of the prophecy's description. Only the final outcome has deviated slightly. Perhaps some force we have yet to understand has interfered with the prophecy's fulfillment..."

The first bishop's voice carried a clear note of mockery: "Who could interfere with a god's revival and return?"

"The waters where the Children of the Storm observed the anomaly are in the Far East Sea," the second bishop said at once. "That is close to siren territory."

"The sirens... those ghosts of the deep sea..." A black-robed bishop who had not yet spoken suddenly broke the silence. "I hear they destroyed one of the Children of the Storm's settlements last time..."

"In my view, the Children of the Storm are not to be trusted at all," another voice spoke up. "Perhaps it is precisely their observation of the starry sky that went wrong, which brought us this setback..."

Before this bishop had finished speaking, a low, gentle voice—yet one carrying an irresistible pressure—suddenly rang out in the hall: "Enough."

The bishops fell silent at once in awe. They turned in a certain direction and bowed their heads respectfully: "Your Holiness."

A blurry dark figure materialized out of thin air at the far end of the hall. The indistinct shadow seemed to sweep its gaze over those present. Though no eyes could be seen anywhere on the position of its face, every one of them felt a sharp gaze brushing over their bodies and their souls, and so they grew all the more reverent.

And the blurry shadow spoke mildly: "Do not forget our cause. Before our cause, this is hardly worth calling a setback.

"Every one of us anticipated this long ago. The prophecy may exist, but it is not the only thing that guides us. It is merely one factor, and whether or not it comes to pass, it will not affect our plans.

"The early activation of the Eternal Dream was merely an insurance measure, taken so that we would not be caught unprepared. And we were not without gains in the process."

The Pope of Eternal Slumber paused deliberately before continuing: "The first run of the Eternal Dream produced a vast quantity of empirical data. This data will help us finally perfect this immense project. And I, in the course of observing the Eternal Dream, have discovered potential and uses far beyond what we had imagined."

A slight stir ran through the bishops. They looked at one another, plainly full of curiosity about what the Pope had said.

And the Pope did not keep the bishops waiting long. He soon announced his decision—a decision that startled everyone: "Rest for three days. Three days from now, the Eternal Dream will be restarted."

A low murmur of discussion rose in the hall. One bishop immediately cautioned: "Your Holiness, the Eternal Dream still has many imperfections..."

"It can only be better perfected... and evolved... while in an operational state," the Pope of Eternal Slumber cut the bishop off. "Through careful observation, I have discovered this. And I have discovered something else as well..."

The bishops fell silent at once as the Pope's voice rang out:

"I have discovered that the vast computational power brought by the Eternal Dream is the true key to decrypting the memory fragments of Gao Yang Cecil. During the last run of the Eternal Dream, those fragments showed signs of loosening—they seemed to have become analyzable.

"Nightmare Bishops, rouse yourselves. There is still much to be done. Go and summon your subordinate nodes; prepare to decrypt the memory fragments of Gao Yang Cecil. We must get to the bottom of this—what exactly is he?"