Dekan Verifies the Origins of the Shadow World and Magic Cards

After inquiring about the changes in the situation between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm over the years, as well as the circumstances surrounding some old acquaintances, Dekan did not dwell on the past any further.

Since the mission objective was to complete this supreme barrier in stages, it shows that Delois made a very firm choice in this timeline of real history.

No matter what changes might occur in the Holy Kingdom, or how much Delois longs to return to her homeland, Delois firmly believes that her most important mission is to complete the supreme magic that can protect the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom for thousands of generations.

As someone from the present world ten thousand years in the future, Dekan knows that Delois's choice has proven to be correct.

Whatever crisis the Holy Kingdom is about to face in the current timeline, compared to a real crisis, it is merely the opening act of despair.

Little did they know that the tenth-tier Shadow World that appeared many years later was the true culprit behind the destruction of the Demon Realm.

Even if the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm lost.

The Devil King Tomb, which Delois initiated the renovation of, has also been passed down as the ultimate lost weapon of the Demon Realm.

The Perfect Devil King Tomb of the present era did indeed save the Kingdom Association and the Salon Empire twice.

And it will inevitably become the key for humanity to defeat the tenth-order Shadow World.

"Okay, Eve, thank you. Now, explain to me what you were doing just now."

Listening to Eve still rambling on about the Holy Kingdom, Dekan reluctantly interrupted her.

She seemed to miss the Holy Kingdom very much. Whenever the Holy Kingdom was mentioned, even if Dekan didn't press for details, Eve would circle around Dekan and talk happily about it.

Eve followed Dekan's gaze and saw that Dekan was clearly staring at the magical instruments and tools on the workbench.

"I'm making Magic Card! I'm determined to make purple-grade cards!"

Eve spoke with great enthusiasm, her words even hinting at a sense of pride in being able to create blue cards.

This prompted Dekan to instinctively show a look of disdain.

Isn't obtaining Purple Rare item a piece of cake?

Why do you describe it as being as difficult as Orange Epic or even Crimson Epic?

Tata was only a few years old when she had already mastered the Purple Rare.

You, Eve, an eighth-tier Great Demon, are working so hard and diligently? Are you just spending all your time doing blue skies and white clouds?

Dekan almost considered Eve a disgrace to Demen.

However, considering the issues of the times, he first raised the questions that concerned him most:

"Is there Shadow World outside now?"

"Yes, how could such magical items and crafts exist without the Shadow World? They were brought by the Shadow World."

Eve was increasingly confused by Dekan's questions, but she still answered them earnestly.

After all, the teacher's disdainful look just now was quite fitting.

It's definitely a teacher.

"Is that so...?"

Dekan muttered, frowning.

He had just heard some truly remarkable information.

Although he had already anticipated this when he saw the retro equipment on the workbench— the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm had also begun to produce Magic Card craftsmanship.

But when he finally received Eve's affirmation, Dekan still felt that things had become much more complicated.

Even without further questioning about the connection between Eve's Magic Card and the Shadow World, Dekan already had a general idea in his mind.

This is the most widely accepted theory among historians and Magic Engineering in the modern world.

Magic Card and their crafting techniques originally originated in the Shadow World.

Although many theories initially suggested that Magic Card and the Shadow World existed simultaneously from the very beginning, and that the "chicken or the egg" question did not apply.

However, the more profound the understanding of Magic Card becomes among Magic Engineering, the more they realize that Magic Card are not a technology that could be normally created in this world.

It is more than just a miracle.

Even the most basic means of obtaining materials, apart from those accumulated and passed down from previous generations, require the decomposition of products from lower-level Shadow World to acquire new items.

Therefore, with the advancement and clash of theories, more people began to agree that the world originally did not have Shadow World, until one day the Shadow World appeared, and only then did humanity gradually begin to master Magic Card technology.

Dekan had agreed with this theory when he was at the academy, because according to his research, the craftsmanship of the earliest human Magic Card may have originated from the decomposition and reverse analysis of Magic Card naturally produced in the Shadow World.

However, the lack of historical evidence and the inability to find conclusive proof have prevented this theory from being proven.

To this day, Dekan is finally certain of what happened before that blank period in the world's history.

When did the Shadow World first appear?

Dekan didn't think for long before continuing to ask questions.

"It was twenty-four years ago."

"?"

Dekan scratched his chin, looking puzzled. Twenty-four years ago, wasn't that the year they had just ended the war between the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom and reclaimed the Holy Capital?

In other words, right after the last Shadow World ended, the Shadow World began to appear in the world where Delois and Lunn were located on that timeline?

"Master, this era is truly exciting! It's either a holy war or the birth of Shadow World. A human's life, even just a few decades long, is full of twists and turns."

At this moment, the only person Dekan could exchange this information with was his Master.

"The Chaos God... just how powerful are they... and how much information have they concealed from this world...?"

The Master's tone was full of resentment, as if he hated that he couldn't bring back more information.

But that's just how this experimental forbidden magic is; it's already a miracle that it was able to leave the tenth-tier Shadow World as a wisp of a soul, and it could hardly bring back any memories.

Dekan didn't try to strike up a conversation with his Master again; he understood what his Master meant.

The Chaos God seem to face many limitations in the mortal world, but their powers are greater than Dekan and Master had originally imagined.

It's not just the tenth-order Shadow World that might be related to the Chaos God.

Rather, the birth and existence of the entire Shadow World are inextricably linked to the Chaos God!

Without a doubt, this Shadow World is now Dekan and his team's only and last chance to uncover crucial information about the Chaos God.

"Eve, tell me what you know about the Shadow World, and the Holy Kingdom's and Demon Realm's countermeasures against Shadow World, etc."

Dekan decided to learn more about the nascent Shadow World in this era.

Eve nodded:

"Twenty-four years ago, when 'doors' suddenly began to appear in this world, besides the fear caused by the unknown, everyone initially just thought they were strange. Even Lord Lunn and you, Teacher, investigated those Void Gate, but couldn't figure out their existence or principles at all..."

It wasn't until a later investigation team went to challenge and probe the enemy, and after being wiped out, some teams finally survived, that the intelligence was gradually revealed.

The Shadow World is a dangerous place, but it is also a double-edged sword.

Failure to conquer will trigger a natural disaster somewhere in the world, and the higher the social class of the Shadow World affected by the failure, the more devastating the disaster will be.

If left unattended, the Shadow World will automatically shut down after a certain time limit, which will also trigger a natural disaster.

However, if you successfully complete the Shadow World, you will receive a large number of unimaginable rewards.

The Shadow World that periodically descend upon the world awaiting people's participation seem endless in number, and their worldviews appear to be composed of either world history or alternate world history, each different and their patterns completely unpredictable.

This has led to most of the Shadow World becoming unpredictable and extremely dangerous without any preparation, experience, or intelligence.

The most critical issue is that no weapons, clothing, or ordinary magical items can be brought into the Shadow World.

Apart from -- Magic Card that can be bound to a soul.

Therefore, whether in the Holy Kingdom or the Demon Realm, researching Magic Card has gradually become a mainstream trend.

Not only does it play a crucial role in conquering the Shadow World, but people have gradually discovered that Magic Card can also significantly enhance their combat capabilities in real-world battles.

Warriors can easily master magic, while mages can save a lot of time learning magic and have the flexibility to allocate the magic they add through Magic Card.

The Shadow World, which initially evoked despair and fear, is gradually beginning to move in a positive direction as people come to understand it.

Therefore, both the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm are now making every effort to research and share information to increase their chances of successfully conquering the Shadow World.

Such a collaboration between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm is extremely absurd to most humans and demons.

After all, the idea of demons and humans cooperating has been a fantasy since the beginning of this world.

But it has indeed become a reality in this era.

It was Lunn and Delois who drove all of this.

"Of course, you're still the most amazing teacher. You figured out this amazing technique in no time. In terms of card making, I'm afraid only the Saintess of Darkness in the Holy Kingdom can rival you!"

Eve was still chattering away, and Dekan didn't tell her to stop; it was as if she had endless things to say.

In recent years, Delois has focused mainly on the construction of the Devil King Tomb and has not spent much time making Magic Card.

I only occasionally give Eve guidance.

Whether in the Holy Kingdom or the Demon Realm, there are very few people or demons capable of creating purple-grade Magic Card.

An orange-grade card was something Eve had never even heard of.

Seeing Eve's adoring attitude towards even the purple cards, Dekan decided to temporarily refrain from showing off his orange cards and the Crimson Epic to Eve.

After all, it seems a bit odd for someone like him, a "golden player" who might be a game-changer in countless future versions, to go and show off his gear to "launch players."

Dekan couldn't help but worry about how long it would take for people in this era to create epic cards.

Fortunately, the Holy Kingdom are fierce enough that even without Magic Card, they possess highly refined skills. This is the kind of arduous training that people are forced to undergo to become stronger when they want to do so amidst the chaos of war and the difficulty of mastering magic.

Otherwise, going to explore the Shadow World without a single card would be too hellish.

Finally, after asking a series of more questions, Dekan let Eve go.

He himself felt tired of asking questions.

Eve still looked full of energy.

It can only be said that the biological gap between sixth-order humans and eighth-order demons is still too great.

"Teacher, may I ask a question now?"

Seeing that Dekan had finally finished asking his questions, Eve, as if she had been holding back, tentatively asked him the same question.

Eve honestly answered Dekan's questions for several tens of minutes.

However, she didn't dislike communicating with her teacher this way; it was just that Dekan initially prevented her from asking questions and interrupting the conversation, which made her feel a bit stifled.

"Um, sorry Eve, go ahead and ask."

Dekan was still lost in thought when he heard Eve's words and nodded slightly apologetically.

In order to efficiently gather potentially crucial intelligence from the past 24 years, Dekan's order forbidding Eve from asking questions clearly fueled her growing curiosity and doubts.

"Although I know a teacher is still a teacher, why do you seem to have forgotten so much from the past twenty-odd years after waking up...?"

Eve finally asked the question that had been puzzling her.

"..."

"It's a blessing from the gods that allows me to see a tiny glimpse of the future. But the price is that the more important information I steal that could affect the timeline, the more memories I'll have temporarily sealed away."

That's all Dekan explained.

It was a lie to Eve, but in some ways, it was also the truth.

He simply explained to Eve how he, as a challenger to the Shadow World, and the complexities and principles of the current Shadow World were presented in a simpler way.

"Wow! Teacher, after decades of praying day and night, has the Goddess finally answered your prayers? Wait, does the Goddess really exist?!"

Eve was almost overjoyed that her teacher had received the Goddess's blessing, but then she suddenly looked at Dekan with confusion and shock and asked him a question.

Eve knew her teacher's faith all too well, and the deity who would protect her teacher must be the Goddess of Reincarnation and Fate.

But even Eve didn't know that she actually existed.

After all, this deity, known as the Goddess of Creation, has always been just an ancient legend within the Holy Rite Church.

Perhaps someone really did see the Goddess many, many years ago.

But in the world today, even demons with lifespans of two or three thousand years, or elves who live even longer, have never truly seen the Goddess.

Eve knew that her teacher was more devout than anyone else, and prayed to the Goddess every day.

Eve only learned later why her teacher had decided to remain unmarried for life so early on.

She heard the story from Talomati.

It all stemmed from the girl who changed the teacher's life—a former devotee of the Goddess.

During the two years the teacher stayed in the Holy Kingdom's territory, posing as a butler, he was always puzzled by the girl's daily devout prayers, and sometimes even made sarcastic remarks about her.

But the girl was never angry; she simply told the teacher the story of the Goddess in a gentle manner.

When Eve first heard this story, her genuine first reaction was, "It sounds stupid to both a girl and a teacher."

A human was earnestly trying to persuade a demon to worship a god of good.

The demon actually took this seriously, discussing the reality of the gods with humans from the perspectives of history, philosophy, and theology, attempting to shatter the girl's illusions.

One dared to advise, and the other dared to listen.

During those two years, no matter how weak the girl became due to illness, she never stopped praying every day.

The teacher, however, never believed in or respected any deities.

Until one day later...

A teacher who never believed in God was like a slap in the face to every word he had ever said.

Silently, as if taking over from the young girl, she began to pray every day.