494: Chapter 474 (Anti-theft Chapter) (Main text will be updated every few hours)

Gazing at the figure standing on the silvery-white desert, the Base Commander couldn't help but clench his fists, even though he watched him through the corridor glass for a short while every day.

Just like that... standing there as if admiring the scenery...

Unaware of the Director's tumultuous inner thoughts, he took a few steps forward to speak with Immortal Xu.

"Immortal Xu, we received notification from Fellow Daoist Ye and have come to the moon aboard the xuan niao ship to cooperate with you."

There is no air on the moon, so theoretically Immortal Xu shouldn't be able to hear his voice. The Director understood basic Physics, yet he didn't worry that this obstacle would affect his communication with Immortal Xu.

And indeed, it didn't.

Immortal Xu turned around. Sunlight, unweakened by any atmosphere, shone obliquely across one side of his face, the shadow cast by his nose covering the other.

Immortal Xu didn't exchange pleasantries with them. After a nod of acknowledgement, he raised one hand, palm facing the sky.

In the next second, everyone felt a slight tremor from the ground, which gradually grew violent. The Base Commander instinctively thought it was a sudden moonquake and was about to call everyone back to the base for shelter in a panic, only to remember halfway through that Immortal Xu was present; he couldn't possibly be harmed by a moonquake.

The upheaval lasted for about half an hour. While they were at ease, the American astronauts nearby who were building the base frame were terrified and fled back into the orion cabin on the spot.

Only when the tremors had completely subsided did they poke their heads out and cautiously return to work.

"The excavation of the first mine shaft has been completed by Xu. I shall depart now."

The moment the words fell, Immortal Xu's figure vanished suddenly like a bursting bubble.

"This..." The Director was stunned for a few seconds, then snapped out of it and looked at Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo. "Why did he just leave like that?"

Having not seen Immortal Xu for a long time, the Director missed him dearly. He was just rejoicing at the chance to catch up, but unfortunately, Immortal Xu seemed to have urgent matters to attend to, leaving hurriedly after just a few words.

The look of disappointment on Zhao Qi's face was even more pronounced.

First, his expectations were dashed—the information revealed by Fellow Daoist Ye suggested that Immortal Xu would take them to the moon together, but Immortal Xu changed plans at the last minute and set off ahead of them.

Zhao Qi had thought that since they missed the ride here, they could surely 'hitch a ride' back, right?

Who would have thought the result would be the same.

Compared to the three of them, the Base Commander's mindset was the calmest. His original intention was just to see Immortal Xu up close, and now that his wish was fulfilled, he was naturally satisfied.

"Let's go, let's head back."

Normally, without an outside mission, base personnel are strictly forbidden from lingering on the lunar surface for long. This regulation wasn't to guard against the personnel, but for their health.

Spacesuits have radiation-shielding functions, but because the supernatural hadn't appeared when they were first designed—and the concepts of the xuan niao ship and the lunar base didn't even exist—they hadn't considered humans staying in space for long. The endurance limit of the spacesuits was only a few hours.

It wasn't that they would break in a few hours; spacesuits weren't that fragile. It was just that there were risks, and it was better to avoid them.

Back at the base, the three of them settled into the assigned dormitories.

Immortal Xu's sudden departure was unexpected for the Director. The xuan niao ship had already begun its return flight, so they could only wait for the next flight to return to the Blue Star.

The Base Commander sent the three to their dorms and immediately led his core subordinates, driving a lunar rover toward the mine shaft.

Immortal Xu only said the mine was ready. The Base Commander figured that Immortal Xu must know the situation and wouldn't have placed the entrance too far from the base.

That would not only hinder the efficiency of ore transport but the long distance would also add danger.

Besides, according to surveys, the largest nearby mineral deposit was the one they were already excavating; there was no reason for Immortal Xu to choose another.

Arriving at the mine, the Base Commander got out of the vehicle and looked up at the entrance, which was originally about three meters high but had now expanded to at least ten meters by his estimation. His expression became extremely strange.

Before receiving the news, he had imagined the scene of Immortal Xu taking action.

Holding an immortal sword, swinging an invisible sword qi to plow a massive fissure on the lunar surface reaching straight to the ore vein.

It would be shocking enough, and he would have witnessed power comparable to a god, but in reality, an open-pit mine was not conducive to mining operations.

This was the moon. Humans couldn't stay on the surface at will; they needed the help of sophisticated equipment. Yet, even walking steadily in a spacesuit required training, let alone the much more complex movements of mining.

True, lunar mining had moved past manual labor; there was no need to swing iron pickaxes and sweat. One just needed to drive mining vehicles.

The problem was that even driving while wearing a spacesuit made this simple act incredibly difficult.

On his way to the mine, the Base Commander had been considering a plan to solve these troubles amidst his joy. He never expected that Immortal Xu would simply broaden the entrance of the mine shaft directly.

Without even walking in to check, the Base Commander was certain that the branch tunnels would surely extend to every ore-rich area.

"Let's get to work." The Base Commander couldn't wait and decided to personally dig a load of ore to vent his surging emotions.

...

Zhang Mu had already returned to Blue Star, sitting on a high point of a deserted island somewhere in the ocean, overlooking the calm sea.

"Epic..."

He recalled his experience of meeting that Gods Blessing in the Forest of Spirits.

According to them, a Gods Blessing is a servant of the gods and a candidate for Legendary. It wasn't explicitly stated, but Zhang Mu could infer that the promotion path for a Gods Blessing did not include Epic.

Epic is the manifestation of humanity's will to save itself.

Setting aside why the humans of the Saul Continent needed to save themselves—the clues Zhang Mu possessed weren't enough to deduce a reliable answer.

What he was curious about was how to become an Epic.

On the surface, it seemed straightforward: join an empire and cooperate with the imperial royalty.

So, what was the specific operational process?

Zhang Mu did not know.

As for why he was suddenly concerned about this, it was because during the days he stood on the lunar surface, his panel had behaved abnormally.

Zhang Mu's class level hadn't budged for a long time. Since advancing to Magister, his experience bar seemed frozen; no matter what top-quality potions Zhang Mu took, it was to no avail.

At first, he suspected whether advancing to Saint level required breaking through something like an "inner demon," but upon asking Grand Duke Bulova, he learned that wasn't the case.

Saint level advancement was the same as other levels: accumulate total mana, refine impurities to save space in the mana core, and repeat until a qualitative change occurs.

Zhang Mu couldn't help but feel bewildered. He had compared himself and found his total mana was already no less than a Saint level. In a strict sense, he was already a Saint level, yet strangely, the level column on his panel always showed "Magister."

Where was the crux of the problem?

After Zhang Mu's chance encounter with the Gods Blessing, he had some guesses.

Once one steps into Saint level, it probably means offering something of oneself to the gods—something very important. Becoming a Gods Blessing would further exacerbate this, while as for Legendary, one should never dream of escaping the gods' control.

The panel had been suppressing his class level because it didn't want him to become a slave to the gods.

If the guess was correct, Zhang Mu's only choice was to bypass Saint level and Gods Blessing to step directly into Epic.

So the question was, Epic cannot be reached simply by refining mana; there is a special method.

What exactly was that method...

Zhang Mu scratched his head: "Maybe I should ask the Senior and the Grand Duke?"

At its peak, the Ice and Snow Empire possessed multiple Epics and must have held the knowledge of advancement. Even if the nation fell and books and records were severely lost or plundered, surely some would remain?

Thinking of this, Zhang Mu rose and flew to America. Without taking time to build momentum, he wrapped the statue of god in the Magic Academy square with mana and flew it across the wilderness, landing it in the bustling center of New Moon City. Then he summoned a Portal to the Saul Continent and passed through "The World" light gate leading to the Lake Royal Capital.

He flew all the way to the palace.

Zhang Mu first dragged the King out of his secret cultivation room, then asked the bewildered King, who had no idea what was happening, if he knew anything about Epic information.

After the King cleared his head, he shook it incessantly.

"During my time as a prince, I wasn't valued by my father, and the Grand Duke also felt my talent was limited, so I never received formal royal education.

Uh, I do have the right to enter the Royal Library, but I..."

"Fine, fine, I get it." Zhang Mu turned to find the Grand Duke.

Lake had two Saint level Grand Dukes and a low-profile Saint level elder. One of the Grand Dukes and the elder had been sent to the Eastern Border to assist the Ninth and Tenth Legions in resisting foreign enemies; only Blova remained in the capital.

Fortunately, among the three, he was the most knowledgeable, so Zhang Mu didn't need to waste time making a trip to the Eastern Border.

When Zhang Mu found him in the training room, Blova had just finished meditating and was planning to go to a shop on the street to buy some of his favorite desserts.

Saint levels don't rely on food for essential nutrients; he did it entirely to satisfy his hobby.

"Grand Duke." Zhang Mu stood at the door and asked Blova as he was about to walk out, "Do you know how to advance to Epic, or do you have any relevant records or books preserved from Ice and Snow?"

The Grand Duke hadn't expected to see Zhang Mu here and paused for a moment before replying: "The method to advance to Epic was a top secret even during the peak of the Ice and Snow Empire; how could I know?

As for books, the Royal Library might have some. Go ask Her Highness Avril; she's the most familiar with the Royal Library."

Zhang Mu's intention was to ask every knowledgeable person first and finally go to Avril to have her help analyze the collected clues, but it turned out half a day's effort was all in vain.

Zhang Mu bid the Grand Duke farewell and then walked into Avril's palace.

She seemed to have heard the news of Zhang Mu's return from somewhere and was sitting on a garden bench; Zhang Mu saw her as soon as he entered the garden.

"Senior." As Avril's hair, which looked like Ice and Snow, entered his vision, Zhang Mu's restless mood inexplicably calmed, and he smiled.

"Sit." She patted the seat beside her.

Zhang Mu sat down and asked, "Are you waiting for me, Senior?"

"Yes."

"How did you know I was back?"

"Mora told me someone was flying around over the palace. I thought, since Grand Duke Blova didn't show up to intercept, it must be you, Junior."

"Haha—" Zhang Mu's laugh was a bit embarrassed because of his recklessness. "Then have you also heard about my purpose, Senior?"

"The Grand Duke told me via voice transmission." Avril's playful smile faded, and she said solemnly, "Junior, I understand your urgency to rescue Teacher, but the most taboo thing in magic study is impatience.

You intend to advance directly to Epic. Setting aside whether it's possible, once your mana goes out of control and you suffer a backlash, you..."

"Senior, you've misunderstood." Zhang Mu waved his hand and recounted the encounter with the Gods Blessing in the Forest of Spirits and all his guesses. "Senior, do you think Epic might have nothing to do with class level at all?"

"This..." Avril furrowed her thin brows, thought for a long while, and then said, "The Epic books of Ice and Snow were lost the year the country fell. There certainly won't be an answer in the library."

"What about your Ice and Snow inheritance, Senior? Did it mention this?"

"The inheritance... only says that the advancement to Epic must require the help of the Church, or rather, the Pope."

"The Pope?!" Zhang Mu's shock at this moment was no less than seeing a pig fly. "If my memory and knowledge are correct, the Pope should be the only Believer of the gods on the Saul Continent."

"Yes."

"The Church is the gods' lackey." Zhang Mu weighed his words for a few seconds and chose one he thought was quite fitting.

"It is."

Zhang Mu's eyes became confused.

The previous Pope is living in seclusion in the Lake palace. Assuming the gods and humans are enemies, it can be inferred that his stance is on the side of humanity, so helping humans cultivate Epics is understandable.

If that's the case, it would be logical for no more Epics to be born after he stepped down. But in fact, during the ten thousand years since the new Pope took over, humans have still seen a steady stream of Epics emerge.

The two contradictory points made Zhang Mu restless, and he shifted around on the bench.

"Senior, why does the Pope have to help, uh, or why would the Pope help?"

"I'm not sure." Avril thought for a moment and added, "Probably only by asking the Pope himself can everything be known."

Asking the Pope himself?

Zhang Mu thought of Leah, who had followed the young Pope to the Church Holy Mountain.

The two had a brief conversation when they parted. Leah didn't reveal much, but it was all very critical.

First, the Church and the Pope would not and did not dare to harm her; instead, they respected her greatly.

Second, Leah was not a native of the Saul Continent; her appearance here was related to the gods. The Pope sought her because he heard a divine oracle, acting on the gods' orders to bring Leah back to the Holy Mountain to take over the Papal throne.

The current Pope is young, strong, and healthy. Plus, with the True Word Spell, living for ten thousand years wouldn't be a problem. Why would the gods go to the trouble of sending someone to replace him?

Currently, on the surface, he shows no signs of defying the gods. As for in secret...

If the existence of an Epic is itself a rebellion against the gods, then the fact that humans still produced Epics during the ten thousand years the previous Pope was retired and the current Pope was in charge undoubtedly confirms that his loyalty to the gods is not very... firm.

Or perhaps, non-existent?

Zhang Mu voiced his thoughts. Avril was somewhat surprised and covered her lips for quite a while: "Is that how it is?

Speaking of Leah... was she the demi-human who was with you?"

"It's her."

Avril frowned in thought, seemingly unable to untangle the threads, and couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth in front of Zhang Mu.

"The Church... indeed lacks interest in interfering with the various countries of the Saul Continent. The Pope rarely even makes public appearances. He doesn't look like what a representative of the gods should look like at all."

There had been instances of the Divine Officials using their power to hoard wealth or infiltrate the politics of kingdom jurisdictions, but those were individual actions. The Church high-level not only didn't support it but would also punish it severely upon discovery.

Seeing her thinking to no avail, Zhang Mu waved a hand: "Don't overthink it. When I have time, I'll make a trip to the Church and ask the Pope in person."

"You are not allowed to go." Avril's voice of opposition was neither loud nor sharp, yet it carried a tone of absolute refusal to compromise.