Chapter 771 — Gaosong's Line of Thought

In the Supreme Administrative Council of the Cecil Empire, Gao Yang sat quietly in a high-backed chair, contemplating in the bright mid-morning sunlight the new intelligence Daniel had sent.

After the last expedition into the Phantom Town, the upper echelons of the Long Night Cult had indeed grown more anxious about the possible upheavals lurking within Sandbox One. They had not only convened a new session of the Dark Nexus Council but also carried out a series of reinforcements and "disinfections." And according to Daniel's assessment, the Cult was likely working even harder in the real world to control the changes in Sandbox One.

The Phantom Town had been designated a priority surveillance target. Since it might hold key information about Sandbox One, the Sleepers had not reset it but had instead used technical means to seal it off and isolate it, preparing for further expeditions.

An investigation into the Church of the "Upper Narrator" had already begun. It seemed that traces of nascent faith had been discovered in past sandbox surveillance records, though the traces were sparse. It was now basically certain that Sandbox One had collapsed first, and only afterward had the Church of the Upper Narrator formally taken shape—which gave Gao Yang some new conjectures about the formation process of that "suspected deity."

At present, no evidence had been found that the "suspected deity" within Sandbox One could extend its power beyond the sandbox. Thus it was impossible to determine whether a "god within a dream" truly counted as a god. But from the attitude of Pope Megor III of the Long Night Cult, Daniel had faintly sensed something: the Pope was treating the "suspected deity" in Sandbox One as a true god, with the highest level of vigilance.

Gao Yang curled his fingers and tapped lightly on the edge of the desk, his thoughts drifting slightly.

The Long Night Pope was Megor III... the pope of the Dream Cult seven hundred years ago, the one who had donned a magically enhanced "spacesuit" and set out for the realm of the gods—he too had been called Megor III.

There was a very high probability that the two were the same person. Which would mean... that pope had also lived for seven hundred years.

And according to intelligence from Beiyila's side, Franken, the Grand Pontiff of the All-Final-Death Society, was likewise the Grand Pontiff of the Spirit School from seven hundred years ago.

The leaders of all three dark cults had lived seven hundred years? Was the Pope of the Storm's Children also the same one from seven hundred years ago who had once stood face to face with a god?

If so... they were quite the group of "old friends."

Beyond this intelligence, the Sleepers seemed to have no ideas at present for resolving the crisis of Sandbox One.

Reining in his somewhat scattered thoughts, Gao Yang stopped tapping the desk edge. He looked up and saw Amber standing nearby, somewhat absent-minded.

But soon, this goose who was slacking off noticed Gaosong's gaze and turned her head: "Hey, what did Daniel say? Have the Sleepers come up with a solution?"

Gao Yang shook his head. "Apart from maintaining the situation, they have no further options for now. Perhaps only after a second expedition into the Phantom Town will the Sleepers' technicians be able to formulate some more proactive 'repair plans' based on the specific conditions of Sandbox One."

Amber immediately bared her teeth. "Hiss... cultists really are a profession that excels at wiping out their own kind... every crisis they cook up is more terrifying than the last!"

"But fortunately, this isn't a crisis that will erupt anytime soon," Gao Yang said, quite calm. "As long as the situation can be maintained, things aren't too bad."

The "suspected deity" the Sleepers had created in Sandbox One was indeed a terrifying hidden danger. In terms of destructive potential, its upper limit was no less than that of the former Body of the False God—perhaps even higher. But on the other hand, the Sleepers had detected it before the crisis fully took shape and burst out of the "laboratory," and had promptly "frozen" its development. This was far luckier than the Body of the False God incident with the All-Final-Death Society.

Therefore, by Gaosong's judgment, this was a dangerous but not urgent event—he still had some time to prepare.

Of course, since time was still passing inside Sandbox One, the event would eventually become urgent. But until then, life had to go on, and Gao Yang certainly would not let himself fall into a state of perpetual dread.

Amber, however, found Gao Yang's relaxed attitude rather incomprehensible. Being of a somewhat timid nature, she had been on edge for days after learning that a "malevolent god" akin to the Body of the False God was slowly gestating, and now she could not help saying: "You're not anxious at all? That thing could give birth to a new god!!"

Gao Yang glanced at the half-elf, his tone leisurely: "Does our world really lack a god?"

Amber was momentarily stunned. She watched as Gaoxi slowly rose and strolled to the window, speaking unhurriedly all the while: "The God of Holy Light, the God of War, the God of Blood, the three gods of abundance, the Goddess of Magic... our world has no shortage of gods. The Upper Narrator? One more of Him makes no difference, one less makes no difference. Even if the Sleepers truly lose control of Sandbox One, perhaps... it would merely mean the appearance of a remade Dream Cult in this world—one might even call it a renaissance."

"If my conjecture about the birth of gods is correct, the 'Upper Narrator' in Sandbox One should be different from the former Body of the False God. There is a very high probability that He is rational."

Amber could not help but frown. "Could it be... you've already given up on resolving this crisis and are prepared to sit by and watch that 'Upper Narrator' take form?"

"Of course not. As long as there's an opportunity, I will still find a way to stop His descent," Gao Yang said, shaking his head. "I'm only telling you to relax a little. You've been far too tense these past two days."

Amber scratched at her hair and muttered: "I don't have your nerves of steel. You, a fellow who rose from his coffin..."

Gao Rong smiled, paying no mind to Amber's muttering, his gaze passing through the glass window to the street outside.

The vision of an extraordinary being allowed him to make out the scene on the distant street—large posters advertising magic-shadow plays pasted on walls, hung on streetlamps, and holographic projections showing fragments of magic-shadow plays drifting through the streets and alleys.

"Film's magic-shadow plays are about to be released. With illusion magic and various support spells involved, their production cycle was much shorter than I imagined," Gao Yang suddenly said. "How about we go watch one of these 'new-style dramas' and unwind a bit?"

Even someone as open-minded as Amber could not immediately follow Gao Yang's leap in thinking. She could not help but widen her eyes. "One second you're discussing the birth of a god, and the next you're thinking about going to see a play? You're joking, right..."

"Of course I'm not joking. I just suddenly thought of something very interesting..." Gao Yi smiled, drawing his gaze back from the window. "If a large number of humans, over a long period and on the same 'frequency,' thinking in unison led to the birth of a god, then... what effect do you think something like magic-shadow plays—which can rapidly alter a crowd's emotions—would have on a god?"

Amber took a moment to react, then slowly widened her eyes.

Gao Yang kept smiling. The line of thought that had been vague before seemed to grow a little clearer.

This thing called magic-shadow plays... if handled properly, might be useful not only for internal propaganda and external export.

Perhaps it could even be used to "poison" the gods.