An Inescapable Trap

Li Lin didn't ask Catherine about the Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages. He knew Catherine was probably unaware of it; otherwise, she would have mentioned it when she reported on Gabriel. Therefore, Li Lin didn't plan to tell Catherine. After all, if Catherine found out, she might try to find out more, and even if she didn't, if she didn't react appropriately when she met the Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages because she was already prepared, it could still arouse suspicion.

Although Li Lin himself had never actually met the girl described by Nisi, based on her account, he was 70% certain that she was a genuine Weapon Spirit. However, this raised some questions, namely... the manufacturing process of Weapon Spirit.

During the Magic Empire era, the craftsmanship of Weapon Spirit varied according to their level. The Weapon Spirit Li Lin created for the twin sisters belonged to the first stage. These early Weapon Spirit possessed a certain degree of consciousness but lacked souls and could not change form. While this level of Weapon Spirit creation was considered high-level skill in the Magic Empire, it was not uncommon. The Weapon Spirit provided to elves and Dark Elf were products of the second stage. They possessed a certain degree of consciousness and could transform into humanoid forms, but they still lacked self-awareness and required human manipulation. If we were to use something Li Lin had seen on Earth as an analogy, these two stages of Weapon Spirit were equivalent to semi-automated machines. Although they could perform some tasks on their own, this still depended on being held and used by someone. If they could not be used, their abilities would also be ineffective.

The Weapon Spirit of the third stage have moved beyond simply acting on their own will and have begun to have a tendency toward "self." However, their sensitivity is still not strong; they are more like weapons than humans and do not possess particularly independent thinking. They can only accomplish a few limited tasks when not possessed by others, but that is all.

The final stage of Weapon Spirit is the "Seven Ring Spirit Envoys".

Whether it's Nia, Suoxiate, Yi Aier, Kalin, Anna, Miu'erkasi, or Beika, none of them would be associated with weapons. They possess their own personalities, thoughts, souls, consciousness, and independent actions and styles. They can cry, laugh, worry, get angry, and feel sad—this is almost a perfect human mimicry.

However, Li Lin knew very well that this was not a simple matter.

Souls are created by nature, not by human hands. Arcane Mage naturally abide by this law, never overstepping its bounds. Furthermore, humans cannot create human souls. Therefore, even someone as powerful as Li Lin can only use indirect methods to create his weapons. His centuries-long journey nurtured the weapons' consciousness and self; their personalities, feelings, and souls were slowly cultivated through countless years and uses, growing like budding flowers until they blossomed beautifully. Just as many legends describe weapons that have served their masters for a long time possessing some degree of their own soul, Li Lin merely gave this soul the possibility of evolution. In other words, the souls of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys were not actually created by him, but rather "created" by nature over countless years and "cultivated" by Li Lin.

So, can gods create life?

Li Lin's answer was equally affirmative: impossible.

Although gods appear omnipotent, they are not truly omnipotent. Indeed, with divine power, the dead can be resurrected, and people can be brought back to life, but this is merely the modification and manipulation of existing souls, not creation from nothing. Even the so-called "creating angels" are simply those souls among believers possessing the potential for divine power, endowing them with divine power, and turning them into their messengers. Therefore, the so-called "creating angels" are essentially just the reprocessing and utilization of souls. For the gods, they cannot draw power of faith from angels; they must also transfer divine power to them to maintain their existence. Therefore, these are not true souls.

The true, unique soul can only be created by the world itself. Nothing outside of that can possess the power to create a soul out of thin air, not even gods or Arcane Mage.

Therefore, upon learning that the other party possessed Weapon Spirit- like existence, Li Lin's first reaction was not to consider the leakage of technology, but rather the source of the other party's soul.

Judging from Nisi's description, these so-called Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages should be at the same level as the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, that is, the final form of Weapon Spirit. This can be seen from the fact that she can talk to Nisi normally and state her goals. Of course, although these Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages use divine power rather than Magic Power, in Li Lin's opinion, this is not particularly strange.

The question is, how were these Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages created?

Li Lin first ruled out the possibility that they had been created long ago. After all, the God of Justice had been badly defeated by him before, yet he hadn't shown any weapons to turn the tide. And after Nisi was sent back to Ringwraith City, although he couldn't get any definite information from the Lady of Secrets, Li Lin confirmed with the God of Light, the Goddess of Dawn, and the Elf Goddess through the Astral Plane Meeting that they hadn't appeared on the battlefield of the divine war. Coupled with the so-called "Seven" Wise Gods, which vaguely corresponded to the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, it was hard not to consider that the God of Justice had created them to deal with the Magic Empire.

But where did the souls that created them come from?

It's obvious that if the God of Justice truly created it to deal with him, firstly, regardless of whether he actually possessed the skill to create Weapon Spirit (from his conversations with gods like the God of Light, Li Lin doesn't believe the God of Justice truly possesses this skill; otherwise, they should have encountered angels with similar weapons on the battlefield of the divine war), he couldn't have freely cultivated a natural soul in such a short time. Gods, though possessing supreme power, are not omnipotent.

He was very interested in this, which is why he gave Nia the order to "capture her alive." After all, if they could really capture the so-called "Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages," it might resolve his doubts.

Although he had already reached a conclusion in his heart, just like one cannot assert the existence of extraterrestrial life before seeing aliens, evidence is still the most important thing.

At this moment, the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, standing on the grassland, also felt somewhat helpless.

This is understandable. They were peacefully doing their work when Li Lin suddenly told them that there was something more important for them to do, and they must put everything down to assist Nia. This inevitably made the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys somewhat dissatisfied. However, after learning what had happened from Nia, their expressions turned strange.

"The Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages?"

Kalin reached out and fiddled with the grass flute in her hand, revealing a disdainful smile.

"Their name sounds even more imposing than our Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. Are they deliberately provoking us?"

"Weapon Spirit other than us, and not even made by our master? This is outrageous! They steal the craftsmanship of our Magic Empire like thieves, and now they want to use it to oppose us! This is too much!"

As a fellow creator of magical weapons, Yi Aier expressed her anger on another level.

"However, we are not familiar with this so-called 'Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages'."

Beika adjusted her glasses; her expression was indifferent, and her voice remained as steady as ever.

"We still don't know what abilities they possess, or what attack methods they use."

"No matter what kind of attacks they have, you'll protect us, right, Beika? You know, you're the strongest shield among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. You didn't back down when facing that brat's attack, so don't let us down now."

I will do my best.

To Kalin's words, Beika simply gave a cold reply and then lowered her head.

Faced with Beika's reaction, Kalin waved her hand, then glanced at Nia and Suoxiate, who were whispering to the elves, shrugged helplessly, and turned to look at Anna was silently squatting on the grass beside her, gazing at the flowers. Her assassination squad had been dispatched to Kudel and Lalia to carry out assassinations against the nobility to create chaos, although Anna also wanted to go with them. However, it was clear that she listened to Li Lin more.

"What do you think, Anna? About that so-called Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages or something."

"They are... the enemy... and must be eliminated..."

"... I remember your orders were to capture him alive... Never mind, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

How could it not have anything to do with you?

Just then, having finished their conversation with the elves, Suoxiate and Nia returned to the group.

"Remember, survival is our top priority, though not absolutely, but since Li Lin needs them, we must do our best."

"I understand, Nia."

Kalin shrugged.

"So, is there any news?"

"After losing Lady Nisi, the elves halted their advance. Although I think this is a very conservative choice, there's no other way under the current circumstances... After all, if the opponent is someone who can even defeat Nisi, these ordinary elves will have a hard time causing them any harm."

What do the elves think about this?

As Kalin spoke, she glanced at the elven soldiers standing not far away. Although their expressions were resolute, a hint of unease was inevitably mixed in. Only a few elves who seemed to have experienced the era of the Magic Empire were more composed, even smiling and nodding at them in a friendly manner. Even so, Kalin could sense that the elves still had reservations about their presence. After all, even a powerful mage like Nisi had fallen victim to their schemes; they were probably worried that they might be next.

"Fortunately, thanks to Lady Nisi's cautious strategy, the elves did not suffer serious losses. However, I think the best course of action is to resolve this threat as soon as possible; otherwise, not only the elves, but also the Scourge Legion might face the same threat."

Are you worried about those undead creatures?

Upon hearing this, Kalin's eyes widened in surprise.

"What I'm worried about is Miss Angela. If she gets so angry that she loses her temper, I won't be able to stop her."

When Kalin asked a surprised question, Nia answered with a nonchalant air.

"... that is a problem."

Even someone with a limited imagination could guess the terrifying scene, like a battlefield. Although Angela didn't care much about her undead army, she would probably be furious if it were wiped out. So Kalin decided to change the subject.

"According to Nisi, those Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages can use several different divine arts. It seems they possess not only the God of Light, but also the power of the God of Destruction and the God of Storms?"

Although Kalin usually seems carefree, she can be serious when she needs to be.

"Is that alright? To be honest, if I were to take a look, it might become quite tricky."

"If my deduction is correct, the opponent is using the power and divine arts that the God of Justice obtained after absorbing other gods. This is indeed quite difficult for Lady Nisi to deal with. Moreover, according to Li Lin's judgment, the God of Justice has absorbed the power of many gods, so once the battle begins, we may have to face the power and divine arts of dozens or even hundreds of gods at the same time."

Although she said that, Nia's face remained unwavering, still displaying her usual confidence.

"However, if that's all there is to it, then they're nothing special. I'm confident I can withstand their attack and destroy them."

"So, what should we do next?"

"I've been keeping a close watch on my surroundings, "Miu'erkasi asked.

"His Majesty has ordered us to assist the elves' operations, but I believe it would be pointless for us to merely defend this place."

"I think so too."

Nia nodded, indicating her agreement with Miu'erkasi's opinion.

"Even if the enemy is truly confident, they wouldn't dare to venture deep into the area currently controlled by the elves. In the previous battles, Lady Nisi has completely destroyed every human village and town. Given the current inability to send additional troops to support them, I don't think they will rashly venture in and rebuild the towns. Instead, they will defend the remaining human settlements. I think once we get there, it will be easy to find them."

"As the elven front expands, the number of border cities between humans and elves is also increasing."

Suoxiate picked up where Nia left off.

Even if they are still helping humanity defend the border cities, we still have five or six towns to explore.

Upon hearing this, all the other Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, except for Beika and Anna, frowned. Of course, the former had an unchanging expression, while the latter didn't care about anything other than eliminating their targets.

"Five or six... Hey, when will we find them? I'm waiting to go home and have a drink."

"While I don't entirely agree with Kalin's opinion, the efficiency is simply too low."

Even Miu'erkasi, who had always been cautious and silent, expressed some dissatisfaction with this.

"This is such a hassle, Sister Nia! Why don't you just let me take my turn and everything will be solved?!"

In contrast, Yi Aier offered a better suggestion.

"A small town like this on the grasslands, one shot from me is enough to wipe it out completely! Then, who cares if there are any Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages inside, they'll all be finished!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking too."

Everyone expected Nia to refute Yi Aier's violent remarks, but to everyone's surprise, she smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, hey, hey, is this really okay, Nia? You can't just say it like that and then forget it!"

"Although Li Lin did order us to assist the elves, he didn't specify whether we were there to help them attack or defend."

Nia smiled with the same gentle smile as Li Lin.

"As I just said, personally, I don't agree with the elves' current conservative defensive measures. Moreover, our goal is to assist Li Lin in his strategy, not just to protect the elves. If we simply stay here to protect the elves and wait for their counterattack, it's unrealistic. Besides, once we launch an attack, those so-called Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages will definitely come to stop us, just like before. This saves us the time of searching for them and the elves. And if they don't come to stop us, then our strategy of assisting the elves in their attack is still perfectly sound, isn't it? Furthermore, if those Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages truly possess great power, they should be able to withstand Yi Aier's artillery fire. If they don't even have weapons of that level, Li Lin won't be interested."

"..."

Upon hearing Nia's words, the others did not respond immediately. They exchanged glances and opinions before Miu'erkasi spoke on behalf of the others.

"I also believe this is the most appropriate course of action under the current circumstances."

"Very good."

Hearing this, Nia smiled and nodded.

"Alright everyone, let's set off... and utterly crush these enemies who stand in Li Lin's way."