Chapter 745 - 467: Thirteenth District

Chapter 745: Chapter 467: Thirteenth District

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you’ve grown at an unbelievably fast rate."

Zhang Tao said, "My parents were both Star Association Investigators, so I was trained from a young age in all sorts of skills: combat, firearms, public speaking, observation, psychology, physics, chemistry, history, astronomy, folklore, Mysticism, wilderness survival... I earned two doctorates by sixteen. At eighteen, I started traveling the world. I’ve climbed Mount Everest, been to the North and South Poles, crossed the Sahara Desert, lived in the Amazon Rainforest for two months, and even single-handedly wiped out an armed scam syndicate in Southeast Asia. Even an Urban Soldier King would have to call me Dragon King out of respect.

"And you? You joined the Star Association and, in just two months, went from an ordinary college student to an Investigator who can work alongside me. In that time, you’ve single-handedly resolved numerous difficult supernatural incidents. If there wasn’t something strange going on, would you even believe it yourself?"

’He’s right...’ An ordinary person could never become a qualified Investigator in just two months. Even after awakening as an Ascender, there would still be so much to learn. In the old era, Extraordinary Knowledge wasn’t as readily available as it is now. Most importantly, it’s hard to change your mindset in such a short time. But if I had a Wish Bottle, it would all make perfect sense... Zhou Chen thought, nodding to himself, then asked:

"Chairman, when do you think I found the Wish Bottle?"

Zhang Tao mulled it over for a moment. "Most likely during the Heaven-Sent Authority event on May 20, 3023. After all, your memory stops on that day. For those two things to happen together is no coincidence."

’Heaven-Sent Authority...’ A thought stirred in Zhou Chen’s mind, but before he could speak, Zhang Tao spoke first, as if he had read his mind. "I haven’t recovered my memories of the Heaven-Sent Authority event, so I can’t answer any questions about it. However, I can speculate based on the information we currently have."

Zhang Tao held up one finger. "First, we can confirm the Heaven-Sent Authority came from that mysterious corpse."

"Second, the Miracle Light came from the cosmos, which means some Investigator wishing for the Prayer Bottle had no direct connection to the mysterious corpse. The Eighth District’s research confirms this—there isn’t a single trace of the Miracle Realm left on the skeleton. Of course, there might be traces on other parts of the corpse."

"Third, the bottle and the Miracle Light were separated during some incident, and its whereabouts have been unknown ever since. The remaining Miracle Light was not enough to create another vessel, so it was sealed away."

"Fourth, the last thing you remember happened at the same time as the Heaven-Sent Authority event."

"Combining these four points, we can deduce one possibility—the disappearance of the Prayer Bottle is related to the Heaven-Sent Authority event, and you accidentally obtained the missing Prayer Bottle, using its power to be reborn into the new era.

"Of course, this is just a high-probability guess; the truth may be different. If you want to know what really happened, you’ll have to wait for history to be unsealed."

Zhang Tao watched Zhou Chen, his gaze serious as if he could see right into his heart. "Wishing to restore your memory would require a massive amount of Miracle Light. That shouldn’t be a problem for you now, but I advise you against it."

Zhou Chen froze. He had, in fact, just been wondering if he could wish to get his memory back. Zhang Tao’s warning made him realize the reason almost immediately. "Because it would loosen the seal on history, causing a large number of Divine War Ruins to emerge?"

"Exactly." Zhang Tao nodded. "Every time a Divine War Ruin emerges, my memory and the memories of some other old-timers are restored a little. The reverse is also true: the more memories we recover, the more Divine War Ruins appear. If you wished for yourself or for us to completely recover our memories of the old era, the sealed history might be completely unsealed."

Zhang Tao swiveled his office chair slightly to look out the window at the sky. "The Gods of the old era can’t compare to the True Gods of today, but they are Gods nonetheless. If a dozen, or even dozens, of Gods and Demigods were to suddenly pop up, even the Star Association couldn’t handle it. Not to mention, we still have to deal with threats from the Abyss and Fallen Paradise.

"Therefore, unsealing history step by step is the best option."

"The Eighth District has currently located three unexcavated Divine War Ruins. Including the one inside Gaia, that makes four. They plan to begin excavating one of them in half a month. What are your plans?"

’Excavating a Divine War Ruin would help restore my memory...’ Zhou Chen thought for a moment, then nodded. "I’m in. But why in half a month?"

Zhang Tao pointed skyward. "You know as well as I do what a mess Noah’s resurrection and Ascension to Divinity caused. He took Lin Yun and Silent Moon with him and is now in a chaotic battle in Centaurus against Ancient Darkness, the Blood Monarch, and the Master of Ten Thousand Steels. Of the remaining True Gods, the War God and the Lord of Storms are guarding the Abyss, while the Goddess of Life and the Dream Lord aren’t skilled in combat. It would be a huge problem if a few True Gods popped out of a Divine War Ruin.

"If we wait half a month, the Divine War might have a result. Even if it doesn’t, that’s enough time for you to help a few Demigods with their Ascension to Divinity.

"If Tang Ling adapts to her Soul, she could also achieve Ascension to Divinity in a short time. You should have a good idea of how powerful she’ll be once she becomes a God.

"Once we have enough people, it won’t be too late to start the excavation. After all, we’re dealing with the very culprit that destroyed the old era. We must be cautious."

"For now, your main task is to accumulate Wish Value."

Zhang Tao snapped his fingers. A section of the office wall slowly slid open, revealing a long corridor. He stood up and beckoned Zhou Chen to follow him inside.

Confused, Zhou Chen followed. At the end of the corridor, a large door opened, revealing a spacious office where hundreds of people were bustling about.

"I’ve established the Thirteenth District just for you," Zhang Tao said. "They will assist you in accumulating Wish Value."

"Uh..."

Zhou Chen scratched his head. "Chairman, I actually already set up my own Prayer System and a smart AI to collect Wish Value. I have over a thousand members."

While he was in Gaia, the secondary system he left outside continued to operate normally. The Round Table Hall’s official membership had now reached over fifteen hundred people, the size of a medium-scale Extraordinary Association.

"Huh?" Zhang Tao was surprised, losing his composure for a moment. This was something he hadn’t known.

Immediately after, his expression turned cold.

’This kid’s secret organization has over a thousand members, and Zone One didn’t catch a single whisper of it? That’s just substandard.’

’I’m docking their vacation days when I get back.’

Suddenly, everyone busy working in Zone One felt a chill run down their spines. It was an all-too-familiar sensation, one that meant their precious few vacation days were about to be docked. For a moment, a chorus of wails and howls echoed through the office.

"Of course, having the Star Association’s support is even better."

Zhou Chen certainly wasn’t going to refuse. With the Star Association’s backing, he could move from the shadows into the light. No more sneaking around; he could openly collect Wish Value from all over the world.

But this was immediately followed by a crucial problem—his cover was about to be blown.

From now on, he would inevitably have to expose his identity and abilities. The members of the Round Table Hall would find out that he was, in fact, the Lamp God. And all the things he had done before...

’Ugh... Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.’

·

After being announced as the head of the Thirteenth District, Zhou Chen rushed back to the devastated Gaia without stopping.

The brief Divine War had all but destroyed most of Gaia. Fortunately, Noah’s light had purified everything, leaving no contamination behind. Otherwise, Gaia would have had to be sunk into the Abyss, making reconstruction even more difficult.

Zhou Chen summoned the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. A solemn crown materialized above his head, and as pulses of brilliant light flared, the heavens and the earth began to tremble.

The fractured land began to heal amidst the shaking. A damp wind blew from the distance, carrying with it a life-giving rain.

The downpour nourished the barren wasteland and filled the dry seabeds. As a single, verdant blade of grass broke through the soil, all of creation was reborn.

On the High Heaven Snowfield, the eternal blizzard slowly receded. Sunlight spilled down, bringing a warmth the permafrost had not felt in a thousand years.

The draconic miasma in the Valley of Miasma had long since been obliterated in the Divine War. The many poisonous fogs that grew within the miasma were also purified and eradicated by the Sun God’s radiance. As the rain of revival irrigated the land, this toxic-filled earth regained its color, transforming into a vibrant, lush rainforest valley.

The broken World was reforged in that moment.

Then, the Any Door opened, teleporting city after city back to their original locations.

The disaster had passed. A long dawn had arrived. In the smoke-filled cities, people looked up at the Sun.

Tears streamed down their faces.

·

"Welcome to the Midday News."

"At 6:00 AM on May 16th, Year 235 of the New Era, Zone 009, ’Gaia,’ was unsealed. Sun King Noah, confirmed dead for many years, has reappeared and successfully achieved Ascension to Divinity."

"At twelve noon, following a joint review by the Star Association and the United Nations, Gaia has officially been declared an independent nation."

"This is your reporter, Yu Wenbo, with the detailed report..."

·