Chapter 1045: Chapter 1045

This "natural assumption" is not a self-adaptation that the white-robed man made for some sort of "benefit."

Even if the pay is generous, abnormality becomes normal.

Rather, it naturally occurred to him that not recognizing his "superiors and colleagues" was normal, as if the sun rising from the east was normal—it was "common sense," and not for one instant did a doubt arise from the depths of his heart.

After He Ao extracted thought information from the white-robed man’s brain through cognitive analysis, he discovered that the white-robed man even believed that after meeting other "protectors," forgetting their identities and appearances was "normal."

Obviously, either the white-robed man’s own "cognition" had problems, or his cognition was no longer in a normal state.

Something within the Rong Guang Society had altered their "members’" cognition.

From this, it can be inferred that perhaps all protectors of the same rank as the white-robed man within the Rong Guang Society might have had their cognition modified.

Apart from cognition, the white-robed man’s memories also had many vague areas.

For instance, he could not remember the identities and appearances of his colleagues and superiors, nor how he joined the Rong Guang Society.

For another instance, he remembered visiting the under-construction "City of Rong Guang," but had absolutely no memory of where it was, how to enter the City of Rong Guang, or how he left.

He only vaguely remembered that the City of Rong Guang was incredibly prosperous and splendid.

Beyond that, he remembered nothing else.

Of course, he himself was unaware of this; it was a conclusion that He Ao reached by analyzing the chaotic thoughts that emerged when the term "Rong Guang Society" came up during their conversation.

In general, nearly all information in the white-robed man’s mind regarding the "Rong Guang Society," for which he toiled away his life, was partially lacking; the more specific the information, the more severe the omission.

It was like a complete cloth, from which random holes had been cut out.

But some power capable of altering cognition had made him "overlook" these omissions, even taking these "holes" to be naturally existing.

To be honest, both the Rong Guang Society and the City of Rong Guang reminded He Ao of the "Eternal Divine Nation" he had encountered in the copy world; his first thought was of that old friend, the Eternal Light.

But unlike the Eternal Divine Nation, although the latter has a physical embodiment, it itself is a "virtual kingdom," a "heavenly nation" where souls reside.

In the white-robed man’s mind, however, this "City of Rong Guang" has a physical existence; he even has memories of procuring construction materials for the Rong Guang Society.

And it seems that the construction "philosophy" of the City of Rong Guang is also to serve power and strength, not a blissful "illusory kingdom."

But in contrast, it appears that no one has ever seen this "City of Rong Guang"; logically, a city springing up from flat ground over a dozen years cannot leave no trace at all.

Of course, judging from the state of the white-robed man’s memory and cognition, it’s also possible that it’s not that no one has seen the "City of Rong Guang," but that no one remembers the City of Rong Guang.

However, it cannot be affirmed that just because the City of Rong Guang exists that it must be physical.

Aside from the form of existence, another thing that left He Ao feeling puzzled was the power used by the white-robed man.

The power of the Eternal Light has very distinct characteristics and is orange in color.

The power the white-robed man "prayed" for is yellow, mixed with some red radiance, and does not recite the prayers of the Eternal Light.

Moreover, the "rank" of this radiance doesn’t seem to be very high; it felt to He Ao to be more angel-like than like a divine being.

And it was a power merged from multiple angels; to be exact, He Ao felt that these two radiances were somewhat similar to those two Evil Spirit Angels from the Blood Sun event: Regicide and the Immaculate.

After the Relic of the Bygone Days was destroyed, it transformed into pages of the Book of Bygone Days that came into He Ao’s hands.

And now, He Ao can also summon these two Evil Spirit Angels using the pages of the Book of Bygone Days, so he’s "somewhat familiar" with these two angels, clearly sensing the aura belonging to them.

He Ao previously inferred that after these several Evil Spirit Angels died, soul fragments were attracted to the Relic of the Bygone Days, ultimately combining with the power of the Relic of the Bygone Days and transformed into evil spirits.

But, angels do not only possess souls.

From He Ao’s current experience interacting with angels, fragments and remains of angels’ ranks and carcasses will also persist for a long time, still possessing powerful extraordinary power and producing supernatural influence on the outside world.

The Rong Guang Society was very likely in control of some of the remaining power of these two angels.

But could there really be such a coincidence? Souls of angels attracted together by the Relic of the Bygone Days, even their carcasses "drifted" together?

Or could it be that these angels are entangled in even deeper mystical mysteries?

Shaking his head, He Ao pressed his doubts to the back of his mind and turned to glance outside at the snowy plains.

By now, he understood why members of the Rong Guang Society could elicit memories related to ’K’.

Because the last attack He Ao launched against the Relic of the Bygone Days had integrated a portion of the Immaculate’s strength to enhance its purity.

They managed to evoke certain memories of the Immaculate in people by dissolving its power through a ritual, extracting fluctuations, and applying them to ordinary people.

However, He Ao was also keenly aware that neither the Regicide nor the Immaculate had the ability to alter cognition and memories.

And when the man in the white robe had activated the power, He Ao felt a peculiar ’flutter’.

This ’flutter’ was extremely subtle, so slight that He Ao couldn’t discern its meaning or find the cause of the sensation.

It was like someone patted him on the shoulder from behind, but when he turned around, there was no one to be seen.

In other words, the abilities of the Regicide and the Immaculate were very likely just a ’shell’ used by the Rong Guang Society to disguise their actual strength,

with deeper secrets probably hidden inside.

He Ao withdrew his gaze and looked at the chest pin in front of him.

The pin was golden in color, with an incredibly delicate craftsmanship that carved a faint relief of an ancient city, while tiny purple diamonds dotted the relief to resemble a constellation.

He Ao fiddled with the chest pin, immersing his Divine Sense into it. Inside the pin, beneath the city relief, were intricately carved Array patterns.

According to the memory of the man in the white robe, this diamond and gold chest pin was the proof of being a ’protector’ of the Rong Guang Society.

Which is why He Ao was so furious when he opened the safe.

After a thorough inspection, He Ao placed the chest pin on the table.

Aside from the Array, the chest pin didn’t contain any power. It probably required some specific conditions to be activated.

Clearly, these activation conditions were not part of the white-robed man’s memory.

But the chest pin gave He Ao another ’hint’.

In the Main World, there is no such complex research on Arrays.

He wonders what exactly is hidden behind the Rong Guang Society.

He Ao lowered his gaze, looking intently at the documents on the table.

Although the man in the white robe couldn’t recall exactly who his colleagues were, he remembered that they were all ’to the east’.

Combined with their belief that the ’K’ faith could aid the activities of the Rong Guang Society, it proved that the region they were in was within the influence of ’K’.

There are only two places in the Main World with ’K’ beliefs: the Newland City-State and most areas of the Western Lands.

The Newland City-State is to the west of the Yika Republic, outlining a clear range—the majority of the central-eastern areas of the Western Lands.

If the former Yika Republic were to be included, that would cover most areas of the Western Lands.

This has a high degree of overlap with the sphere of ’K’ beliefs, as well as with the World Tree’s realm of dominion.

The train gradually came to a stop, and He Ao picked up his overcoat from the nearby hook, draping it over his shoulders before picking up a bowler hat and placing it on his head.

Next up was to follow the trail. With such a big commotion stirred up this time, like stirring up the grass to scare the snakes, there’s bound to be some reaction.

He Ao stepped forward, walking up to the door.

The old-style carriage door slowly opened, and the biting cold wind instantly blew into the narrow train cabin.

He Ao adjusted his hat and descended the train’s steps slowly, setting foot upon the soft snow.

A hint of chill swept through the gaps in his clothes, grazing his skin.

He Ao lifted his head and looked at the sky.

Above this ice plain devoid of almost any human trace, stars revealed themselves unobstructed at the horizon.

Those stars hung in the night sky like pearls densely packed across the dome of Heaven, scattering across every corner of the sky.

Nebulas and stardust in the sky formed a long river extending across the Firmament.

Multicolored curtains of light layered upon each other, draping down from between the stars like colorful transparent silk, drifting between the starry sky and the snowy plains; they were the dazzling aurora.

It was now past the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the South Pole had entered polar night, with temperatures plummeting. A storm capable of obscuring everything could descend upon this land at any moment.

But luckily, He Ao encountered a ’clear day’ today.

This was the deepest part of the Antarctic continent, the true ’no man’s land’ of this planet.

The roaring train glided across the snow, disappearing into the void.

Amidst the howling cold wind between Heaven and Earth, He Ao watched the dazzling aurora above and raised his hand.

A massive and magnificent Wheel of Stars slowly emerged from between the stars.

Here, he had enough space and time to verify and improve his conjectures on mastering the Wheel of Stars.

In a elegantly decorated office, a figure hidden in the light lifted their head to look at the man before them, "You’re saying, the base in Mote City was completely wiped out?"

"The news from Mote City is just that,"

The man bowed his head, speaking hastily, "Not just Mote City, those Central Earth people are now following the leads and apprehending people all over the Yika Republic, they have even reached the borders of the Yika Republic."

"Initially, the vice-chairman messaged me, and I thought it was just a simple loss of contact... It seems one of our fellows has dedicated themselves to the great cause,"

The figure pulled out a pack of cigarettes, drew one slim cigarette, lit it, and placed it in their mouth, "Did they say exactly how it was wiped out? There was no hint of this before, right? When did those Central Earth dogs get such sharp noses?"

"We got some news from our informants in Mote City."

The man hesitated, pausing.

The voice of the figure became slightly colder.

With his head down, the man’s forehead seeped with sweat, "They say, it was ’Divine Punishment’, Divine Punishment that directly pierced through the building, and the Protector Lord of the Yika Republic also died there."

Then he lifted his head, glanced at the figure’s cold face, swallowed and slowed his speech, "They say, it was... K’s Divine Punishment."

The entire office fell into a moment of silence.

Only the smoldering of the cigarette in the figure’s mouth flickered with dying embers.

Eventually, the figure removed the cigarette from their mouth, looking up at the man, "Are you questioning the organization?"

"No, I’m not, I didn’t,"

The man trembled, immediately prostrating on the ground, "My loyalty to the Protector Lord, to the Rong Guang Society is absolute!"

The figure looked down at him without speaking.

The man trembled again and quickly said, "I devoutly worship the great ’Destroyer K’!"

"Don’t believe those faithless rumors of false gods made by the Central Earth people,"

The figure’s cold voice echoed in the quiet office, "The Rong Guang Society will always be Destroyer K’s most devout servant, and the great Divine Beings have always guided our way, inseparable from us."

The man bowed his head, sweat sliding down his cheeks, nodding ceaselessly.

"Seal this message, don’t let anyone else know for now,"

The figure leaned back in the chair, the voice a bit more gentle, "Remember, the great ’Destroyer K’ is with us, the Divine Beings have always stood by our side, no matter what those unbelievers have stirred up, don’t be credulous."

The man nodded hurriedly.

The figure took the cigarette back into his mouth, waved his hand, and then, as the man slowly stood, the waving arm paused suddenly, followed by a cold voice ringing out in the empty office again, "How is this batch of ’materials’ coming along?"

"They’ll be ready soon, my Lord."

The man hastened to say, "The directives you gave earlier, to avoid the gaze of those Central Earth mutt’s informants, have made our operations inconvenient."

"As soon as possible,"

The figure’s tone was calm and cold, "I want the materials from this batch as quickly as possible."

The man nodded hurriedly, "I’ll go and handle it right away."

Watching the man turn and leave the office, the figure’s gaze lowered.

The hand that had waved pressed a button on the desk, "Vice-chairman, the situation has changed, those Central Earth people seem to have caught our scent."

The figure quickly relayed the newly acquired information.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication, then an elderly voice slowly rose, "What’s your view on this?"

"Although those Central Earth people are annoying, their competence is without a doubt, especially that ’He Ao.’ I’ve seen his records, whether it’s the Navigator, the Newland City-State, or the Blood Sun incident, he’s been involved,

"Being able to return from incidents involving angels time and again proves his strength is not bad, and judging from the situation in the Ruodan Kingdom, his managerial and investigative capabilities are also quite outstanding,

"At the same time, he seems to have a decent relationship with all three major organizations─the Research Institute, Moonlight, and the World Tree─able to mobilize great amounts of energy,"

The figure spoke quickly, "I believe it’s only a matter of time before he follows the trail up to us, the City of Rong Guang is about to be completed, and once he interferes, our plan is sure to be greatly affected."

"What do you think we should do?"

The elderly person on the other side of the communication asked.

The figure answered immediately, "Since exposure is inevitable, we should complete everything before it happens, so that by the time he truly finds us, it will be a done deal."

"You don’t need to worry, even Li Cheng and that mysterious Hao Yi, those capable of summoning Angel Power, will not be able to affect the great City of Rong Guang in the slightest, let alone the ordinary B-levels who are insufficient to disrupt our plans,"

The elderly voice rasped, "Once the City of Rong Guang is completed, by that time, not to mention these Central Earth people, what Blood Sun, what relics, what angels, the whole world will have to prostrate at our feet,"

Then his tone paused slightly, "But you’re right, we don’t need to take risks, ’speed’ is the best ’dueling technique,’ I will notify the other protectors to expedite the transportation of the last batch of materials."

"Thank you, Vice-chairman."

The figure quickly said, "Oh, and one more thing..."

"Do you have another question?"

The elderly voiced slowly.

The figure was silent for a moment, finally speaking slowly, "The ’Divine Punishment’ in Mote City, do you really think it’s real? Can we truly defy the Divine Beings?"

"Don’t overthink it,"

The elderly voice grew colder, snorting, "You are one of the finest protectors, we have your merit in mind, just remember, ’Destroyer K’ is always with us."