Chapter 304: Gathering Together
For several days, numerous lower-level knights stationed in Annottales conducted a thorough search. Thousands of knights and tens of thousands of their accompanying followers mobilized throughout the city, but not even a single hair of the abattoir sinners in the Seventh District was found.
This was to be expected.
Those people had already been transferred by Bai Yan through the teleportation function of "the Heart of Babel Tower".
It was impossible to find them.
Because too much time had passed, Christine's Relic could not be used to restore the situation at that time... After more than an hour, her Relic would be powerless.
Although this matter caused anger within the church, it ultimately had to be left unresolved.
There was another important reason, which was that for the Dark Light Church, there were actually more important and troublesome matters recently... Babel Tower and Dead Silence.
These two mysterious forces posed a much greater threat compared to the isolated sinners.
Fortunately, Babel Tower and Dead Silence should be enemies.
In fact, many people secretly believed that Babel Tower seemed to have never done anything wrong and didn't resemble an evil cult at all.
However, the prophecy is unquestionable!
Babel Tower is the enemy of the Savior of Dark Light, the common enemy of the whole world!
Perhaps some people have indeed questioned the accuracy of the prophecy in their hearts, but in a place like the Kingdom of Dark Light, no one would openly express such doubts.
Regarding the investigation of Dead Silence, the saints entrusted Christine of the Knights of the Divine Blade to investigate after the meeting, rather than directly assigning the task to their leader, Chris.
As for the matter of Babel Tower, it was given even greater importance and handled internally by the saints themselves.
It was obvious to everyone that Christine was already the Deputy Captain of the Divine Blade, publicly acclaimed. As long as she completed this important mission after surpassing Apocalypse, she would very likely be promoted directly to the official Captain of the Divine Blade.
Compared to Chris, who had a lower hierarchy of birth, the saints of the Dark Light Church still valued Christine's noble lineage.
In Annottales, although the saints who could not marry didn't have direct descendants, their numerous relatives still formed numerous small and large families.
There were a total of thirteen saint families, also known as the Four Major Families and the Nine Minor Families.
Among them, the Four Major Saint Families were the most prestigious and prominent. Half of the officials in Annottales held positions from these families, and Christine came from the prominent family of "Luriq".
Among the Four Major Saint Families, there was only one Elven family, which was the Augustus family. Their patriarch was the more than three-hundred-year-old "Heart of Dark Light", and the Augustus family in Tatsumi City was their branch.
Due to the frequent intermarriage among the Four Major and Nine Minor Saint Families for thousands of years, Christine, in a sense, could be considered a distant relative of Maryse, whom she had no direct relations with.
Apart from that, there are also two major Saint Families, namely "Wittelsbach" and "Medici".
When Bai Yan saw these names of the Saint Families, he could basically confirm that the world of Noah and his homeland were likely created from the same mold.
In other words, parallel worlds.
He had already learned while reading at the Demon Hunt Agency that there are many parallel worlds in the multiverse, and there are quite a number of worlds similar to his homeland.
It seemed that there is a certain special wavelength that determines the "similarity" of different universes in the multiverse. If the similarity exceeds fifty percent, it is considered a "parallel world".
But for now, these things are not very important knowledge, and Bai Yan only has a basic understanding.
At this moment, Bai Yan , who had just finished dinner at the Tulip Manor, returned to his room and decided to convene a new meeting.
This is the first collective meeting of the Babel Tower that will take place after the First Doomsday Crisis.
Everything in front of Bai Yan started to disintegrate and reconstruct.
The next moment, he once again arrived at the Babel Tower.
This time, the surroundings of the Babel Tower Temple changed once again and became different from before.
It was a vast space with a bowl-shaped design, illuminated by incredibly bright white lights. The chair that Bai Yan was sitting in was filled with a high-tech atmosphere. In front of him was a tens of meters long alloy table, and the light-colored flat ground had flickering circuits. Outside the glass windows in the distance, there was a holographic simulated beautiful scenery.
As Bai Yan sat on the specially made chair, he looked down and saw many high-tech buttons on the armrests. His self under the black robe resembled a super corporate leader from the cyberpunk world.
This kind of style had never been seen before.
"Now we're really having a meeting... the office of a cyberpunk corporation..."
Bai Yan shook his head slightly and, using the authority of the Savior's power called "summon," instantly summoned all the Core Operators.
For some reason, it felt like it had been a long time since they last met.
Perhaps it was because they had experienced life and death together, he pondered silently.
Night Union, the Tree City.
The highest-level Council of Sages meeting is currently in progress.
It was a massive black room, with sparkling lights filling the edges, and the blue holographic projections of fifty sages floating in mid-air.
And in the center of the meeting, there was a projection of a slime creature, undoubtedly the "Fusion Slime," or it could also be called "R21".
Among the myriad of sage projections, a furry and short young man spoke with a voice that was deep, wise, and calm.
"Professor Bai Lan , how do you explain its relationship with the Babel Tower?"
He was the oldest sage within the Tree City, a half-human who had already attained eternal life and had been alive since the existence of the Tree City, at least seven to eight thousand years old.
"Master" has made three significant contributions to the Tree City. The first is assisting the Nine Trees System in implementing the Value Points System, the second is maintaining the operation of the Nine Trees System, and the third is developing the incredible "Eternal Life" drug on their own.
In a sense, he is the uncrowned king "below the Nine Trees."
Professor Bai Lan remained silent for a while and said, "I'm not sure, but I believe Babel Tower should be harmless. It only occasionally takes away R21 and returns it afterward, making R21 stronger every time."
"This person doesn't even understand their own experiment."
"Doesn't she realize that it's already a threat to the public safety of the Tree City?"
"Ha, what a foolish person, hiding the truth. She must be trying to obtain the power of Babel Tower."
The wise scholars discussed with dissatisfaction regarding Professor Bai Lan's statement.
Finally, "Master" coughed.
"Quiet, everyone remain silent!"
"Let me propose that we apply to classify it as a 'public research object,' to be studied collectively by all the scholars, no longer exclusive to Professor Bai Lan."
How can this be! At the next moment, Bai Lan's anger was almost overflowing, and her voice seemed like a roar!
"This is impossible! I have exhausted everything for it! I won't let my belongings be taken away like this by all of you!"
"Master" just shook his head and said,
"Nothing is impossible; everything must be considered for the greater good. Professor Bai Lan, if it doesn't work out, the other forty-nine scholars here will compensate you with some points."
He continued speaking.
"Don't worry, you won't be expelled from the core area like this. These points are enough for you to conduct the next research as a scholar for the next ten years."
"But..."
For some reason, even with the promise of compensation, Professor Bai Lan couldn't help but feel unwilling in her heart.
That slime... is not just an experimental subject, but also the culmination of her lifelong dreams and goals, the perfect crystallization that she has poured countless efforts into for many years.
"I..."
Professor Bai Lan hesitated and was at a loss for words. In fact, she knew that she couldn't control the situation.
"Don't push your luck. Master's approach is already good enough."
"Are you trying to go against the Nine Trees System? This is a task established by the system."
"Professor Bai Lan, I hope you can be more rational, think it through before speaking."
The voices of the wise scholars made Bai Lan's holographic projection unsure of what to do.
Should she hand over R21?
Or rather, should she proactively hand over R21?
Inside the laboratory of the research institute, the real Professor Bai Lan was deep in silence and confusion. The slime in the nearby container seemed to sense her emotions and crawled closer, making gurgling sounds.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle?"
Professor Bai Lan looked at the huge slime and said calmly,
"R21... If it falls into their hands, you might face a situation worse than death..."
Professor Bai Lan is well aware of the madness of the other sages, some of whom have no boundaries, even more so than the demons in hell!
She was slightly startled, feeling incredulous.
Why am I concerned about the future situation of R21?
This is unlike myself.
The clone assistant, Huan, stood by quietly, watching this side, and asked, "Professor Bai Lan , are the sages in the meeting hoping that you hand over R21?"
"Yes."
Professor Bai Lan nodded gently. Huan, she is indeed very intelligent, one of the highest IQ among her clones.
But it is obvious that both herself and Huan are helpless.
In front of numerous sages and the Nine Trees System, she simply has no authority to make decisions on her own... Thinking here is futile, just in a state of confusion.
"Savior of the Babel Tower..."
"If you can hear, please take it away."
Professor Bai Lan murmured, leaving Huan stunned. He hurriedly reminded, "Professor, the words you just said were all under the surveillance of the Nine Trees System! I suggest you take medicine to calm your emotions. You are currently unstable!"
Professor Bai Lan shook her head, revealing a bitter smile. "It doesn't matter. Even if I want R21 to escape, there is no way... Unless the savior of the Babel Tower really hears my voice."
At that moment, a black mist surged up.
Professor Bai Lan and Huan were both shocked. The gurgling slime was enveloped by the black mist and disappeared.
"Savior of the Babel Tower... is really watching us..."
She murmured to herself, feeling inexplicably relieved.
A new meeting began.
Bai Yan sat on a chair full of a futuristic vibe. Not far away, the large alloy table was surrounded by swirling black mist, and all the core members of Babel Tower appeared.
Mu Ling 、Maryse、Alan 、the Scarlet Moon 、slime、the Demon Sword、Amy 、Ganis.... and "Profligate"。
Unbeknownst to them, Babel Tower now had a total of eight core members. If we counted "Profligate" and "Keeper of Secrets," it would be ten people in total.
For a mysterious organization of salvation, having such a number of core members was quite sufficient.
As the "savior," Bai Yan once again possessed Maryse's power through Power Possession.
Listening to their inner voices.
He noticed that the atmosphere among the people present had changed.
Except for the newly joined mushroom, the others had all experienced the First Doomsday Crisis together, each fighting for something great, even experiencing death in the process.
These profound experiences allowed the bonds among the Babel Tower core members to be significantly elevated.
Two months ago, the emotions between most people present were still at the "colleague" stage.
Until now, at this moment, there was finally an atmosphere of kinship and comradeship within Babel Tower.
"Finally, I see you all again."
Mu Ling, who is usually reserved and rarely smiles, also smiled faintly. After taking a glance around, she fixed her gaze on the suspended jet-black magic sword for a long time before looking in the direction of the Savior.
As long as Mu Ling sees the Savior, her heart becomes calm.
Sometimes, she really wants to walk up to him, kneel before him, and pray and confide, wanting to ask many things.
However, Mu Ling can't do such a thing temporarily in front of everyone.
Maryse sighed and muttered, "Died again... Really, died again... That feeling is really unpleasant. Fortunately, I know that I will definitely be resurrected, otherwise, I would be in despair."
"It's great that we finally won! " Maryse raised her hands high, stuck out her tongue, and had a look of victory.
"Yes, we won."
Amy nodded gently, showing a smile. She also enjoys the atmosphere in Babel Tower now.
She turned her head and apologized, "Alan, I'm really sorry. The person you're looking for, named Bai Yan, is still missing."
Bai Yan was slightly taken aback. It turned out that Alan had already revealed his true name to them on the forum.
It seems that he has a great deal of trust in the members of Babel Tower present.
Alan sat still in his seat, his emotions different from everyone else's as he stared at the others for a long time without speaking.
The atmosphere unknowingly became heavy.
Suddenly, a tear rolled down his eyes.
"I..."
"It's really good to see all of you."
Demon Hunt Agency in Tatsumi City.
Destroyed.
Almost all of Alan's colleagues died, and he has been in a daze since his resurrection for the past few days.
He saved the world.
However, there are still many things that could not be saved.
Alan once felt an immense sense of guilt and found it hard to sleep.
It wasn't until now, when he saw another group of comrades from Babel Tower, that Alan snapped out of his absent-minded state.
Yes.
I still have them...
And the Savior's promise to resurrect others.
And the future.
And hope!
Ganis remained silent for a while and comforted him, saying, "We all know that you have lost many comrades, but don't worry... The great Savior will revive them one day."
"All of this is the hardship that we must experience on this path."
"It's even worth remembering and being grateful for."
Alan nodded slightly. If given the choice, he really didn't want these hardships, but he also knew that Fist of Duel had good intentions.
Ganis turned to "Mr. Profligate" and asked respectfully, "Mr. Profligate, I want to know, did the esteemed Keeper of Secrets not come?"
Keeper of Secrets?
Some core members were stunned, completely unaware of who the Keeper of Secrets was.
"Mr. Profligate" Bai Yan shook his head and said, "No, he has many things to attend to, such as recruiting new members for Babel Tower... Non-core members actually need us core members to screen and recruit them."
Without saying a word, the Scarlet Moon stared at Profligate with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"
Bai Yan always felt that the Scarlet Moon had a peculiar look in her eyes. How can I describe it? Well, perhaps it can be described this way.
It's like the feeling of a student having their phone confiscated for several days and then suddenly seeing their phone within reach.
He knew that the other party was craving blood.
Bai Yan also decided that after the meeting, he would let her draw a little of his own blood.
It would also be a good opportunity to cultivate the Scarlet Moon's potential for the later stages. Taking a different "divinity" path in the second playthrough might make her more than just an "early-stage illusionist".
He was hopeful about this.
"Savior" Bai Yan remained silent and instead manipulated "Profligate" Bai Yan to speak.
"As everyone can see, our strength is simply not enough in the Doomsday Crisis... We were on the verge of losing it all, so Babel Tower must bolster its forces."
Everyone was listening attentively, except for the Slime who seemed distracted and out of focus. Bai Yan noticed this as well.
Bai Yan paused for a moment and continued:
"Each person here currently has five spots temporarily, and there may be more in the future, to recruit Non-core Operators for Babel Tower."
"Because the spots are limited, not everyone can join Babel Tower... But once they become Non-core Operators, they will have the opportunity to become stronger."
Maryse stared at Profligate for a while, then raised her hand with a smile and asked, "What are the recruitment criteria? Crown level?"
"Potential Apocalypse, that's the benchmark."
When Bai Yan said this, everyone was momentarily stunned, finding it unbelievable.
But he wasn't joking.
"If there is a special background, such as being an important figure in a major power or possessing extremely unique and significant abilities... we can relax the recruitment criteria to the ordinary Crown level."
The Scarlet Moon raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Wait a minute, hold on, isn't this a bit... too demanding?"
Alan also regained his senses and asked in confusion, "I also think the requirements are excessive. What's going on? I suddenly have a sense of something extraordinary, where ordinary Crown Level Transcendents are no longer valuable..."
"Indeed, when I was little, Crowns were considered unattainable, and this lowly-blooded vampire body of mine was considered a legend in Tatsumi City and the Otherworlds."
Maryse murmured to herself for a moment, then asked in a slightly louder voice, "In the whole world, there are only a dozen or so Transcendents at the Apocalypse level, right? If we only recruit those above Potential Apocalypse or key figures from major powers, I'm afraid there aren't many people who meet the criteria in the entire Noah world, at most fifty or sixty, right?"
[【Better to have quality than quantity】]
Everyone's mind was filled with the indifferent voice of the savior.
Everyone was stunned.
Bai Yan was well aware that members who were not Core Operators could not have their fundamental strength directly increased by him.
However, ordinary Crown level transcendents really didn't play much of a role in the second Doomsday Crisis.
"Profligate Bai Yan continued, 'Your rate of power improvement is the biggest advertisement. I believe everyone is aware that many people have always wanted greater power… to the point of accepting the power of the Outer God, embarking on an irreversible path.'"
Mu Ling took over and nodded calmly, "Compared to the temptation of the Outer God, the great savior of Babel Tower can provide people with a faster path to become stronger, and this path is safe, without any dangers… a temptation that most people cannot resist."
In fact, that's the case.
"Bai Yan knew very well that a large number of people, like "Chaos Saint" Hals , if given the choice from the beginning, would definitely prefer to join Babel Tower rather than worship the cult of the Outer God. The reason is simple, not for the noble ideal of saving the world, but simply because their intelligence is normal… Joining Babel Tower is such a wonderful thing!"
Amy remained silent for a moment and said, "Well, we will do our best. It's quite difficult to recruit such strong individuals. In fact, these people are very rare, and it's usually challenging to come across them."
Alan suddenly said, "I hope everyone can protect themselves during this process."
Everyone was aware of how sad this man was. He had the lowest mood among everyone present.
However, most of the people present had experienced life and death, or had varying personalities. In addition, with the possibility of resurrection, no one really comforted Alan in a motherly manner.
"Tatsumi City has attracted many powerful figures," Maryse looked at Profligate and chuckled while scratching her head, "The Imperial Guards indeed have many members who meet the standard, but I'm a bit afraid to provoke them. The reputation of the Lord of the World is quite terrifying."
Mu Ling pondered for a moment and said very calmly, "I will go and probe the Imperial Guards. Since this is the savior's plan, it must be carried out."
the Scarlet Moon watched coldly without saying a word. She was too lazy to recruit outsiders. Such matters were troublesome to death.
"Profligate Bai Yan nodded softly.
Then, he turned his head and smiled, "So, sir... may I ask if you have any concerns? Why do I feel that you have been feeling uncomfortable all this time?"
Everyone was startled, realizing that Profligate was looking at the deep blue slime.
Its massive body was piled on a small seat, looking somewhat comical.
Sure enough, this slime was also a member of Babel Tower. Everyone finally confirmed this fact.
Although it hadn't joined the "Cybertyrant" forum, it did contribute during the Doomsday Crisis, making it one of the companions of everyone present.
Bai Yan keenly noticed the peculiar emotions of the slime. After all, he was constantly Power Possessioning the "Psychic Dancer," and even the silent Magic Sword understood what was going on in its mind.
Under the gaze of everyone, the slime hesitated for a long time. It finally spoke up about its deep-seated troubles after realizing that everyone was willing to listen.
"Gurgle!"
