Main Church

The White Robe Deacon silently listened to Chen Fan's account.

"That little boy you mentioned... I think I vaguely remember him."

The White Robe Deacon extended a hand that had been hidden beneath his white robe and gently rubbed his still-flesh-and-blood temple.

His arm was withered and thin, its sallow skin covered in wrinkles. One glance was enough to tell that it belonged to an old man.

"If I remember correctly, that should have been last year, right?"

"You still remember?" Chen Fan froze for a moment, then instinctively flattered him. "Your memory is really impressive."

The White Robe Deacon's Mechanical Eye glanced at Chen Fan, and the lines of his face softened slightly. "You certainly know how to talk better than those other God Chosen."

"There's still plenty of time. Since you brought it up, I'll explain it to you properly."

Chen Fan chuckled to himself.

He had just said they were pressed for time, and now there was plenty of time...

No wonder they said flattery never failed.

"It isn't exactly because I have a good memory." The White Robe Deacon started walking forward again. "Ordinary people who receive the gods' blessing are few to begin with. There might not even be several in an entire year. And this one was a child, so naturally he was easier to remember."

Chen Fan followed behind him, "casually" glancing at the small section of Mechanical Leg exposed beneath the white robe.

Naturally, the White Robe Deacon noticed the little gesture. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing an awkward smile. "Yes, this too is the Lord's blessing."

As he spoke, the White Robe Deacon lightly tapped the various mechanical devices embedded in his face and said proudly, "Other than the Church's clergy, no one can receive so many blessings!"

Looking at the face beneath the hood, packed with mechanical devices, Chen Fan felt nothing but instinctive discomfort.

Blessings?

He certainly didn't think those were blessings!

Even so, Chen Fan forced just the right amount of admiration onto his face. "Amazing!!"

The White Robe Deacon's smile grew broader—and uglier.

"You're an interesting God Chosen!"

"Over all these years, I've met plenty of God Chosen. You're the first one like you!"

Chen Fan's heart tightened. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be nervous." The White Robe Deacon's attitude was much gentler than before. "You should know that the status of God Chosen within the Church is basically equivalent to that of bishops. Other than the Archbishop, probably no one in the Church can force them to do anything. Because of that, the attitude of God Chosen toward deacons like us..."

As he spoke, the White Robe Deacon sighed and shook his head helplessly.

Chen Fan immediately understood.

So it was a conflict between rank-and-file workers and parachuted leaders!

Deacons were equivalent to the Church's grassroots personnel, while God Chosen were like leaders dropped in from above.

And that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that these leaders often only had a "term" of several dozen days or a few months.

Once their "term" ended, the God Chosen would head to the God Kingdom, and a new batch of God Chosen—or rather, a new batch of "leaders"—would take office.

How could there not be conflict in that situation?

Church Deacons had no choice but to respect the God Chosen due to their status, but the God Chosen looked down on Church Deacons. At the same time, knowing the God Chosen would soon leave, Church Deacons generally just went through the motions when dealing with them. Thus, it became a vicious cycle.

Everything now made sense!

"Let's go."

As Chen Fan pondered, the White Robe Deacon tucked his withered, thin right hand back into his voluminous white robe.

After a moment of hesitation, he softly warned, "If you miss another divine decree, I'm afraid you'll suffer for it."

"The Archbishop isn't as easygoing as I am."

With that, the White Robe Deacon quickened his pace and walked ahead.

More than an hour later, the White Robe Deacon's pace finally slowed somewhat, and the white-noise-like mechanical hum gradually faded with it.

Chen Fan let out a soft breath and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Seeing the White Robe Deacon's completely unruffled expression, he could not help feeling a little envious.

The weakness of flesh, Mechanical Ascension.

That saying really wasn't wrong.

How could a body of flesh and blood compare to these mechanical devices?

This unit advises you to abandon that thought as soon as possible.

One promptly interrupted Chen Fan's thoughts: The reason the Human Federation classified mechanical modification of the human body as dangerous technology is because it carries extremely severe side effects.

On a larger scale, it can lead to the destruction of civilization.

On a smaller scale, it can fundamentally destroy a person's self-perception and way of thinking.

Chen Fan's heart jolted.

Before he could question it further in his mind, the sight before him seized his attention.

They were four enormous buildings spanning several city blocks.

Each building was shaped like a pyramid, utterly different in architectural style from the low concrete and cement houses surrounding them—

They were constructed from steel!

The Steel Pyramids were engraved with the same mysterious patterns as the Mechanical Prosthetics.

Not only that, their surfaces were covered in countless fine rippling structures, with streams of heat surging from them.

Even from several hundred meters away from those massive Steel Pyramids, he could feel waves of heat rushing into the sky.

At the center of the four pyramids stood a towering cylindrical structure.

An extraordinarily intense light flashed at the top of the column. At first glance, it seemed even brighter than the blazing sun in the sky!

What the hell is that thing...

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a blue Holographic Projection appeared before his eyes—

More precisely, on his retina.

Several lines rapidly sketched a simple diagram, while One's voice sounded in his mind: Based on this unit's preliminary observations, this may be a Molten Salt Tower Energy Storage Power Station.

Chen Fan: ...?

What the hell? A power station?!

Yes. The surfaces of the four pyramid-shaped buildings are covered with curved reflective films that can concentrate sunlight onto the molten salt energy storage device at the tip of the central tower.

Simply put, you can think of the four pyramids as concave mirrors.

Watching the lines continuously take shape before him, Chen Fan suddenly understood. "So it's a solar cooker!"

...If you want to understand it that way, you can.

As for the purpose of the four pyramids... insufficient data. This unit cannot currently make an accurate judgment.

One gave its final conclusion: No matter what, this thing should not be technology this civilization possesses.

Chen Fan swallowed with difficulty. You mean...

This thing might have been built by an alien civilization?

Theoretically, yes.

He quickly glanced at the White Robe Deacon beside him.

From the reverence in his expression, it was clear that the building before them was their final destination.

The Main Church!

In other words... he might be about to take a stroll through an alien civilization's territory?!

At that moment, Chen Fan felt his scalp go numb!

He slowed his pace, following behind the White Robe Deacon as he nervously walked toward one of the Steel Pyramids.

P.S.: Thank you to all the readers for your tips and support!

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