The "Mechanical Emperor" was a tall, blond man. His facial features were refined yet not soft, steady, and firm. He wore a simple silver-gray suit of armor, with no traces of mechanical modification.

This was his "historical image" from when he had just advanced to "Mystery Pryer," lacking the aged feeling of the statue in front of the central tower.

Additionally, at the moment of "transformation," Ebner also activated the "Omniscient Eye," using the imprint left by Ivans to influence the statue outside the central tower, causing it to broadcast a "mental transmission" announcing the return of the "Mechanical Emperor."

Having personally witnessed the "divine envoy" transform into the "Mechanical Emperor," Annik, Eleanor, and Ormos should have harbored doubts about his identity.

But the "mental broadcast" that followed, emanating from the statue of the "Mechanical Emperor," erased all their doubts. They immediately fell to their knees and recited the honorific name and praise Ebner had told them during his last visit:

"O great ’Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery’...

"When You return, You shall lead Morning Star City out of darkness and into a world of light..."

Looking at the three rulers of "Morning Star City" devoutly chanting his name on the ground, Ebner, in his transformed state, couldn’t help but nod, thinking to himself:

The ’Mechanical Emperor’ really did perform soul-level modifications on all the residents of Morning Star City. Otherwise, with the firm will and vast experience of these three demigods, there’s no way they would cast aside all doubt just from hearing a ’mental broadcast’...

And the memories I received earlier from touching the imprint didn’t include the specific details of those mechanical modifications... heh, it seems my guess was correct—Ivans’ contingency is most likely hidden here.

But unfortunately, I’ve seen through it... this is as far as you go.

As his thoughts turned, Ebner, presenting himself as the "Mechanical Emperor," solemnly declared:

"The divine envoy is me, the ’Mechanical Emperor’ is me, and the ’Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery’ is also me!"

This... does that mean the "divine envoy" Ebner, who appeared earlier, like the "Mechanical Emperor," is also a part of the "Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery"?

I see! I remember the "Mechanical Emperor" once told us about the "Ancient Sun God" who abandoned us, and the story of the "Holy Son, Holy Father, and Holy Spirit as a Trinity." The Emperor’s situation must be similar!

The three High Council members instantly filled in the gaps in their minds, each revealing a look of realization in their own way.

"Praise be to the great ’Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery’!" the three said as they bowed again.

This time, their reverence was even more solemn, for the being before them was no longer merely the "Mechanical Emperor," but an incarnation of a "god."

Seeing that his performance, aided by the status of the "Omniscient Eye," had successfully fooled the three—and knowing his "transformation" time was limited—Ebner wasted no more time. He spread his arms, palms facing upward, as if embracing something:

"Make a wish to me! Speak your desires!"

This sudden action left the three demigods momentarily stunned, standing frozen in place.

Fortunately, Eleanor was the first to recover. Clasping her hands together, she spoke as if divinely inspired:

"O great ’Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery’...

"We pray to You, we beseech You—lead us out of the ’Forsaken Land of the Gods’ and into the world of light!"

Annik and Ormos also snapped back to their senses and hurriedly repeated Eleanor’s wish.

Their words were transmitted through the "mental broadcast" into the souls of every resident of the "floating city." For a moment, everyone in Morning Star City prostrated themselves on the ground and collectively prayed:

"Please lead us out of the ’Forsaken Land of the Gods’ and into the world of light!"

Seeing this, Ebner no longer hesitated. While placing the Book of Gears, also known as the "Mechanical Codex," into the core of the tower, he simultaneously connected to the "Omniscient Eye," linking together authorities such as "miracle" and "creation."

At the same time, in the underground space near Nass, Ebner’s main body pulled out the historical projection of "Alvin" and cast a "miracle" upon the replicated "floating city" beneath his feet!

In the next moment, the mountain-sized city vanished from the underground space and appeared in the sea region of the "God War Ruins."

At the instant the floating city was transferred, Ebner used his spirituality to touch the black gemstone bestowed by the Goddess on his chest. Borrowing the divine power of "Darkness," and the inherent connection between the two, he linked the replicated floating city in reality with the floating city in the dream of the "God War Ruins."

At the same time, the "floating city" from the nightmare of Afternoon Town suddenly appeared within the dream of the "God War Ruins," completely replacing the original floating city that had existed there.

Reality and dream are intertwined. The authorities of "creation" and "miracle" took effect simultaneously. Standing inside the central tower of the floating city, the "Mystic Queen" Bernadette and "Alchemy Master" Klaus suddenly saw many strange "people" appear out of thin air on the inverted mountain platform. They were kneeling before a statue with a distinct Steam Church style, worshipping devoutly.

"What is this?" Bernadette turned her head to look at Ebner, her azure eyes full of curiosity. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"These are the original residents of the ’floating city.’ I’ve transferred them out of the ’Forsaken Land of the Gods,’" Ebner replied simply. Then, with a casual motion, he took out the Book of Calamity and placed it into the "Storm Engine," one of the four major systems of Morning Star City.

—Because the sea region of the "God War Ruins" also retained divine power from the "Lord of Storms," maintaining the flight of the floating city wasn’t a big problem. But they couldn’t remain in this dangerous sea forever—they had to leave eventually. Therefore, using the Book of Calamity as a power source was inevitable.

At this moment, the figures of the three High Council members of Morning Star City—Annik, Eleanor, and Ormos—gradually took shape.

However, they had no time to pay attention to the additional Bernadette and Klaus nearby. Instead, through the glass windows of the tower, they stared intently at the sun above the sea.

It was already evening, and only the afterglow of the sun remained, about to sink below the horizon.

Even so, its light was firmly imprinted in their minds. Annik, as a student of the "Mechanical Emperor," couldn’t help but exclaim:

"Teacher was right... compared to the true sun, the light of ’Morning Star City’ is like a grain of rice..."

Eleanor said nothing, but she gazed at the setting sun with obsession. That greedy look of hers revealed the true nature of "greed" even more than Ksenia’s mask.

Ormos, whose entire form resembled a black mechanical suit, was relatively more rational. Although he was equally reluctant to look away, the multiple "cameras" in his implanted body allowed him to notice the additional people around them.

He recognized Ebner’s appearance and assumed that after displaying divine power, the god had reverted to the form of the "divine envoy." However, the beautiful lady standing beside him was completely unfamiliar.

As for Klaus, that old man stood at the back and clearly looked like a servant, not worth much attention.

After a moment of thought, Ormos stepped forward, knelt on one knee before Ebner and Bernadette, and said excitedly:

"Praise be to You, great ’Omniscient Eye, Lord of Fate, Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery’..."

At this point, he paused, then looked toward Bernadette and respectfully bowed:

"And praise be to you, Your Majesty the Queen."

In his view, a woman who could stand side by side with a "god" must be the "Divine Queen."

Bernadette and Ebner were both stunned for a few seconds by this form of address. Then the former immediately cast a sharp gaze at the latter.

In response, Ebner had no choice but to cough and explain, "I am only a ’divine envoy’ right now—there’s no need for honorifics.

"Also, this lady is the ’Master of the Dawn,’ the ’Holy Spirit Who Pursues Knowledge,’ the ’Lighthouse of the Mysterious World,’ the ’Eye That Peers into Fate,’ and the ’Mystic Queen Above the Seas.’"

He deliberately avoided stating Bernadette’s true honorific name to prevent causing her trouble.

Ah, that makes sense... our Lord is the ruler of Morning Star City, the Lord of Fate, the Emperor of Knowledge and Machinery... and the Morning Star symbolizes dawn. This lady’s titles—"Holy Spirit Who Pursues Knowledge" and "Eye That Peers into Fate"—also correspond to our Lord... my earlier guess must have been correct...

Furthermore, the appearance of the "Master of the Dawn" here signifies that Morning Star City has finally ushered in its dawn!

Thinking this, Ormos changed his words on the surface and said:

"Praise be to you, ’Master of the Dawn,’ ’Holy Spirit Who Pursues Knowledge,’ ’Lighthouse of the Mysterious World,’ ’Eye That Peers into Fate,’ and ’Mystic Queen Above the Seas.’"

Previously, the group chat was disbanded. The new group number is below—just join with one click. I originally wanted to add more updates, but setting up the group took too much time, so I didn’t have time.

(End of Chapter)