Chapter 665 Vigilant is the best prophet in the world
"What are you doing? Why are you smiling like this? Did something good happen?"
Nether-Stalker's iconic trembling electronic music sounded behind Diakum, making Vigilant nodded and replied warmly:
"Yes, just now, a great thing has just begun.
I entrusted a "sword" to a warrior I trusted most, and he has already embarked on the right path. At the end of this journey, he will eventually pierce the sharp blade into the heart of the enemy with his own hands to completely end this catastrophe that has lasted for too long.
Of course, this has nothing to do with what we are going to do next.
At least not at this moment."
Diakum turned around and looked at the strange "drink" brought by Nether-Stalker on a tray.
In the gorgeously engraved water cup in the style of Broker, there is a ball of pale light suspended, just like the stream of liquid exuding a certain "viscous" texture.
At first glance, it looks very much like the magic spirit "squeezed" out by Trolls priests using evil methods, but it is different.
The "liquid" in this cup is not an entity, it is just an external manifestation of a special power.
"Anima"
Diakum Put the water cup in front of your eyes and look at it carefully.
This is the unique power of Shadowlands, and also represents a certain high-level application of Death Force. In Six Forces, the morality of death is not necessarily the most obscure, but it must be the most deceptive.
In the eyes of those foolish people, the core of Death Force's path must be "death". This seems to be judged from the straightforward name. Therefore, Material World and Dark Zone have many cults similar to "Death Cult".
They worship death just like believers believe in Holy Light, trying to draw strength from death. They also declare that their worship of death is no different from how others worship Holy Light.
But to be recognized as a cult by a "metaphysical genius" like Diakum shows that the essence of death is far from simple.
"Death" is a comprehensive concept, and its power branches are so complicated that they are even comparable to the tree-like system of Arcane Truth.
Death Faction There are six concepts of the most advanced power currently available.
These include the paths led by Shadowlands's Four Covenants's and Eternal Ones's, which respectively represent forgiveness, conquest, Dutifulness (lawful/transcendent), rebirth, plus arbitration (Judgment) led by Eternal Arbiter.
In addition, the "Corrupted Eternal One" whose name and existence was erased unexpectedly gained the power of "control" through his own tragic experience.
These six power concepts basically cover the cyclic changes of Death Force, and are also the foundation of the existence of Shadowlands. Under these top power concepts, different subordinate concepts can also be extended, such as punishment, torture, and conspiracy in the field of absolution.
Another example is plague, ascension, Undead shaping, secret exploration and conquest in the field of conquest.
As for the new path of Winter Queen, there are more derivatives. There is some kind of wonderful binding symbiosis between Ardenweald and Life Force. Theoretically, the strong men of Night Court under Winter Queen can walk the two forces of death and life at the same time.
Moreover, their mastery of these two powers will not cause the "light and shadow conflict" of Diakum, because Great Cycle of Life and Death is the foundation of the universe that makes up the entire Material World.
Of course, the "Dutifulness" in the concept of the six upper powers is somewhat suspected of "filling up the numbers".
It is estimated that the First Ones who created Shadowlands are a group of perfectionists and obsessive-compulsive patients, and they had to create a less strong guy in addition to other strong forces to form the "five-person Eternal Ones group" to debut.
In short, the concept of Death Force is by no means just "death". Going on the road of death with this idea will only hit the wall at every turn, and the "psychic energy" held in Diakum's hands at this time is the realistic embodiment of the concept of power in Shadowlands.
In the world of the dead, things like "power" are also visible and quantifiable.
After those individuals who control the power experience various accidents, their existence will collapse, but the power will remain in the form of "Anima Orb" and be collected and used by others.
Although the life of Material World can also be taken from Anima Orb, unfortunately, this visual power conflicts with the rules of the Material Star Sea and is difficult to appear in Material World. Therefore, power transfer through anima is the privilege of Shadowlands creatures.
The reason why Archbishop Nali used Cenarius's anima before was because Polluter was already under the control of Death Force at that time. It was an accident that cannot be replicated.
The process of getting this thing is also very simple. Just grab Anima Orb, crush it and "eat" it, and that's it.
As long as the compatibility is appropriate, the power of others will be transformed into the power of the user in a short period of time, with basically no side effects, but the "container" determines how much Anima Orb an individual can use.
Based on the strength of the Diakum container, he estimated that he could drink thousands of Anima Orb without feeling full.
But the problem is
"No need."
Dick returned the precious Anima Orb in the cup to Nether-Stalker, and he waved his hand and said:
"I walk the path of light and shadow, and I am not suitable for the power of death. This cup of "mythical anima" should be given to someone who needs it more, or put it in this Veiled Market and sell it. I believe that there are many Broker businessmen who know the goods and are willing to pay a high price for it."
Vigilant shrugged, looked at Anima Orb, which was emitting a reddish light, with a subtle look, and said:
"As long as the compatibility is right, even ordinary people can gain the power of demigods after drinking it. Shadowlands's power transmission is somewhat unreasonable."
"It may seem unreasonable, but Shadowlands has its own set of perfect and even "harsh" rules for the flow and use of mental energy, just like Shadowlands's "Destiny Constraints" that go deep into various fields.
To use the vulgar language of Rafaam, Shadowlands is a place where there are rules for farting."
Nether-Stalker doesn't think so.
It put away the mythical Anima Orb and explained:
"In this world of the dead, it is a taboo to take Anima Orb of unknown origin at will, especially those dead who are bound by Four Covenants. They can only choose one between their responsibilities and their power.
But the problem is that Eternal Ones are all generous leaders. As long as you work hard, strength will always be given to you by them.
As a unique resource of Shadowlands, every Anima Orb will quickly wither after leaving World of Death. Even the Broker businessmen with great magical powers have not been able to find a way to take Anima Orb away from World of Death in tens of thousands of years of trying.
But you are right, because of the existence of Anima Orb, there are an amazing number of strong people in Shadowlands.
Especially those extravagant Eternal Ones people.
As long as they are willing and have sufficient mental energy, creating demigods is a trivial matter."
Having said this, Nether-Stalker was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:
"I cannot understand your purpose of coming to Shadowlands, but I advise you to proceed with caution.
Before I saw those Mawsworn with my own eyes, I was stupid and couldn't understand your worries. But after using the miraculous methods of my Broker compatriots to go to the Maw, I finally realized the true meaning of the sentence "Death is the enemy of life."
Those Mawsworn
They were shaped with the will to fight using their powerful anima, and the cold Abyss Forged Steel was used by the Jailer Zovaal to create invincible bodies. Each Mawsworn had power far beyond ordinary life when it was born.
Every squad leader is a legendary individual, and the commander of every Mawsworn is a demigod.
The Torghast, Tower of the Damned, which is used to extract powerful anima, is producing powerful anima every minute, and the evil subordinates of Zovaal use the flames of the Maw to forge more warriors.
I once thought that Burning Legion were the most dangerous army in the entire world, but I now know that when Mawsworns step into the star sea in the future, maybe even the demons will have to seek help from others."
Diakum was neither surprised nor scared. He explained patiently:
"After all, that is the death power accumulated from the Great Ordering of Light and Shadow period to the present. It is understandable that the amount is astonishing. After all, while the other five forces are consuming each other, Death Force has been accumulating strength.
In the past, through Great Cycle of Life and Death, the accumulated death would return to Material World in a new form, allowing Life and Death to form a wonderful balance. However, after the connection between life and death was interrupted, the rapidly expanding Death Force became qualified to overturn the table.
One of the purposes of my trip is to find out why Great Cycle of Life and Death was blocked? I think this is not just the result of a tantrum between Winter Queen and her sisters.
But before that, I need to ask you, my dear friend, have you done what you promised me?"
Under Diakum's gaze, Nether-Stalker straightened her back, nodded and said:
"Of course, it's a good thing!"
It made a "please" gesture, signaling Diakum to follow it.
Dick walked out of the gorgeous and comfortable rest room where he was, and followed Nether-Stalker into the busy and prosperous Broker Bazaar.
As former K'aresh people, the Brokers have mastered secret methods that allow them to cross the boundary between life and death, but such a leap must come at a price, so their business in Shadowlands and the business of other Ethereals in Material World can only have some limited intersections.
Previously in Nether-Stalker's base camp, Diakum had seen a series of "smuggled goods" prepared by Consortium for Broker Cartel.
Including cherished objects in various Material Star Sea worlds, and even some living life samples.
Walking in this "Tazavish·Veiled Market" at this time, Diakum could see that the smuggled goods from Material World were being sorted into categories by Broker merchants.
Some Broker merchants are waiting nearby. After picking up the goods, they will leave on their strange "energy flying discs".
On both sides of the streets in this gorgeous place, there are hard-working Broker merchants everywhere organizing their stalls and placing their goods in the stalls, waiting for the next time Veiled Market docks at a certain Land of the Dead to start a lively sale on "market day".
Those Brokers looked at Diakum curiously, seeming to wonder how a Eredar soul could be allowed to set foot on the Veiled Market that the harsh boss Soliya valued.
This guy was personally led by the mysterious Nether-Stalker, so he seemed to have a lot of status at first glance.
Diakum is also observing these Brokers.
They were once K'aresh people, and like Ethereal, they were transformed into energy bodies in the disaster of K'aresh. However, the spirit pattern bandage used by Material World cannot be effective in Shadowlands, so Broker need to use special decorations and devices to maintain a stable form in the world of the dead.
Therefore, the Brokers here all wear strange masks and uniform-style "structures" made of metal and cloth. They also wear patterned bloomers on their structures to show their status as traders.
However, there are always wonderful blue or red sparks around Broker's masks. Those energy sparks will transform into different forms according to Broker's mood, making these guys look quite "naive".
Especially when they are in doubt, the tip of their energy spark head will turn into a "question mark", which makes Diakum laugh and cry.
Hello!
If you express your feelings like this, wouldn't it make it impossible to deceive others?
Being unable to use lies to gain profits is a huge disaster for businessmen.
"Brokers are doing a lot of business in Shadowlands, and there are cooperative relationships between different Broker Cartels and various alliances."
Nether-Stalker explained:
"This place is filled with dead people from all over the world. Although most of them have accepted death calmly and bid farewell to the past, there are always some people who miss their hometown. Therefore, Broker will be responsible for finding various souvenirs from their former worlds and selling them to those customers at high prices to make huge profits.
The dead people's persistence in the past can often make the lucky Broker rich. There are also many stubborn people in Shadowlands who can spend all their wealth just for a bouquet of dried flowers from their "hometown".
This is really a good business.
However, my compatriots obviously realize that they are aliens to Shadowlands, so although various Broker Cartels also fight here, they generally maintain a loose cooperation.
For example, the owner of this Veiled Market, Suo Lia, is one of my compatriots.
In order to convince her to accept Rafaam and I as temporary passengers, I had to give her a batch of very precious contraband as a gift, but So Leah is an ambitious Broker"
Nether-Stalker hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said:
"Although they are well hidden, I have discovered that some Brokers are cooperating with evil guys and are spying on the secrets of First Oness.
Initially, this peek into the secrets of Weili was an effort to save K'aresh.
You know, we can't defeat a Void Demigods on our own, but as the exploration deepens, those Broker become obsessed, and like demons, they are frantically searching for all the secrets related to First Ones.
This makes me very uneasy.
I feel like they are "cursed" by knowledge."
Diakum nodded and then reminded:
"As long as that "door" is not opened, the knowledge left by First Ones will not be seen again, but we should indeed admit that the knowledge of the Creator is too exaggerated, and the mysteries left here may not be correct.
This is terrible."
"Someone will go astray and cause greater disaster."
Nether-Stalker sighed and said:
"I know that you gave us the order to search for the mark of Eternal Ones to ensure that the secrets of creation left by First Ones are not abused, but to be honest, after I saw the various visions of Shadowlands with my own eyes, I think that as long as that knowledge remains there, it will definitely attract covetous attention.
If you don't give, they will rob.
In the words of Rafaam, if you can only commit a thief for a thousand days, how can you prevent a thief for a thousand days?
Therefore, I think you may really need to personally go to the place where First Ones left their secrets. What I mean is that if you think that knowledge is wrong and misleading, then you have the responsibility to destroy it!
Lest these relics continue to remain in Shadowlands and even attract prying eyes from other realms, as far as I know, the Void Lords of Sea of Darkness have invaded Bastion
Perhaps those Void Lord who pursue the truth also come for these mysteries of the Creator."
Diakum did not answer.
Nether-Stalker means to persuade him to go to the creation Holy Land left by First Ones.
But Diakum is very resistant to that place, especially the closer he gets to the core of Holy Light, the more he resists information related to First Ones.
An'she and Mu'sha are the creations of First Ones. Like Eternal Ones of Shadowlands, Sun God and the Moon God both come from those creators, and what I use at this time is also the power left by those creators.
"Okay, I'll think about it."
Diakum didn't finish his words, he rubbed his forehead and sighed:
"If it helps us light the sun, then I'll seriously consider it."
Nether-Stalker breathed a sigh of relief.
It took Dick through the bustling neighborhood of Veiled Market, and finally arrived at a treasure house guarded by a strange "Titan Construct Giant".
It says:
"This is the "trophy" accidentally found by So Leah when she was privately pursuing the knowledge of First Ones. As you can see, this powerful Titan Watcher called "Hylbrand" comes from Azeroth.
It guards a piece of Titan Artifact.
In fact, those are part of the fragments of First Ones's sacred object, which fully proves that Azeroth, Supreme Star Soul, is also related to First Ones.
Of course, this treasure house has now become So Leah's own Booty Bay treasure house. Rafaam and I rented it temporarily to preserve the treasures we found in the fog at the Maw border.
That "War Sigil""
Nether-Stalker said with emphasis:
"That is the mark of "Primus", the master of Maldraxxus, who controls all the power of war. We found it in a place called "Korthia".
It was a dangerous journey, because the Jailer Zovaal's bad guys were following closely behind.
Obviously, our supposedly secret adventure was betrayed by some Broker to their "new friends". If Rafaam hadn't been proficient in picking locks and escaping with treasure, we would have been stuck in that dangerous place and would not have been able to return.
But again, fortunately, I live up to my fate, Vigilant.
We delivered on our promise and we brought you a mark."
"It's two!"
With a horrifying gesture, Diakum reached out and inserted his hand into the chest of his spirit body, took out the ball kicked from Arbiter's chest, and tossed it up and down in his hand.
He said:
"Judgment Sigil I got it too. Now, whether all the ambitious people who want to collect these things can realize their goals and desires depends on my mood! Well, is this what it feels like to be a bad guy?
It's really good."
PS:
Broker concept diagram is as follows: