Village Head's Debauchery

Even Aerialia and Ilse hadn't mentioned anything like this.

According to them, the Spirit Realm was unsuitable for mortals or divine beings like themselves. Any divine beings wishing to explore it had given up, deeming it futile. Bringing a Spirit Beast to the Material World was also futile, as their strength was halved, and the resources required to cultivate them to higher power levels were a waste of time.

The same effort could cultivate dozens of Divine Apostles or Demigods, who were much more valuable. As for acquiring a stronger Spirit Beast whose power would remain formidable even after being halved, as HX-09 had said, those beasts were all in hiding.

The Spirit Realm was more vast and mysterious than the Material World itself. Fortunately, they had not yet begun recklessly interacting with it.

"But there are mortals who journey into the Spirit Realm and even summon spirits to the Material World, borrowing their strength by forging contracts with them. How are they safe despite all of this? Does that mean the Divine Corps is wary of those Spirit Beasts?" Orion asked, his tone curious.

"The Divine Corps is not afraid of those Spirit Beasts. We have ways to eliminate them. But since they don't interfere in our affairs, we don't interfere in theirs. There's no need to provoke unwarranted strife between us."

"This world is already a product of such conflicts that could have been avoided if those who started them had chosen to end things before they escalated. We are not like them and will not bring such a fate upon the Spirit Realm," HX-09 responded.

"We also don't attack mortals unless they become Anomalies. Those Spirit Beasts won't attack them either as long as they don't perceive them as threatening their existence. But it's unlikely that mortals will encounter them since Spiritual Link Point only opens where the Material World and the Spirit Realm overlap."

"Around these points is where mortals can naturally interact with Spirit Beasts or forge contracts to borrow their power. Those beings would stay far away from these areas. The further you travel from a Spiritual Link Point, the more dangerous it becomes, and the higher the chance of encountering the more powerful Spirit Beasts.

"So, if you ever plan to wander into the Spirit Realm, avoid straying far from the Spiritual Link Points. I would rather the Divine Corps eradicate you first than watch you fall into their hands."

"We will keep that in mind," Orion responded with a nod.

"How many divine beings have you killed until now?" he continued.

"890," HX-09 replied.

Orion raised an eyebrow at her response but was inwardly moved by her response.

Seraphina, Evaline, and Whisperwing were equally moved.

They had no doubt the woman before them could accomplish such a feat, as they were all away of her capabilities. To them, she was a being naturally designed to hunt divine beings, so if she had been doing so since her creation, it would mean she had hunted down eight hundred and ninety divine beings, undefeated.

When viewed from that perspective, the number became even more staggering.

Fortunately, she had been captured by the Will of the Divine Mysteries and was now their prisoner, preventing her from harming him, Aurora, or the others. Even if another Divine Corps member were to enter their Realm, they were confident they could subdue them.

Their strength was undisputed with their Divine Mandates and within their domain unless they encountered a formidable divine being with powerful mastery of the laws.

Orion took a deep breath to calm himself, regaining his composure. He focused on HX-09 and asked, "Do you want to become a part of Paradise? You have witnessed our strength and know we are not weak. We also have connections to the Will of the Divine Mysteries, which is why you were handed over to us. So think carefully before making a decision."

"I will never betray the Divine Corps; you are wasting your time trying to recruit me," HX-09 responded, her previously emotionless expression finally showing a hint of emotion. "Also, that 'Will' is strange, and once the Supreme Executors of the Divine Corps learn of 'it,' they will surely take care of it swiftly."

Orion's eyes flickered in surprise. "Can the Supreme Executors of the Divine Corps truly handle the Will of the Divine Mysteries?" he asked.

HX-09 nodded.

To Orion and the others, the Will of the Divine Mysteries was a mysterious entity of unfathomable power that even General Reynold and Oberon were wary of. Now, they learned that the top ranks in the Divine Corps could handle such an entity.

This made Orion even more cautious of the formidable figures behind the Divine Corps, and he finally understood why the 'Will' had spoken of them warily.

Seraphina, Evaline, and Whisperwing shared the same concerns.

The more they learned about the Divine Corps, the more they realized its roots were deep and unfathomable.

"Do you have any information about the Vylkr spawns?" Orion asked.

"Yes. Though Vylkr spawns are more widely recognized as a term for any Vylkr monstrosity, there are far more bizarre Vylkr entities with their names. We, Junior and Senior Executors, handle the Vylkr spawns while higher-ranking Executors deal with the others," HX-09 responded. "That's all I can remember."

Oberon had informed them that he had destroyed an entity called a Vylkrspawn Bringer—an entity with a large eye and countless tentacles that had appeared beneath the sundial in the Village Chief's compound, so Orion wasn't surprised by this revelation. Having utilized Vylkr energy himself, he understood its power better than anyone.

He had already anticipated that they would encounter even more formidable and dreadful Vylkrspawns in the future.

Having already learned about the changes in Paradise's former territory, the women were mentally prepared to encounter even more dreadful Vylk spawn entities, so they weren't shocked by this information.

Everyone present regarded the Vylkrspawns with the same threat level as the Divine Corps, understanding that they possessed roots that ran just as deep.

"In that case, we're done. When the time comes, our researchers will study you to learn more about the Machina of the Divine Corps. The fellow Machina you saw earlier is undergoing the same fate," Orion said.

HX-09 remained silent, her gaze fierce and fixed on Orion before shifting to Seraphina, who had previously revealed the other Machina body lookalike to make her comply.

"I'll leave everything in your hands," Orion said, turning towards Whisperwing and Seraphina.

"You can count on us," Whisperwing responded with a solemn nod.

Seraphina nodded as well.

.....

Orion and Evaline exited the research centre.

Evaline had unsummoned her veil.

They were contemplating the information they had just obtained when Evaline sighed heavily.

Orion turned to her and said, "Don't think about it too much. You should focus on getting used to handling the affairs in Paradise as Divine rather than focusing on things happening outside. The others and I will take care of it."

"Alright," Evaline responded with a nod.

"I'm heading to the former Village Chief's compound. You can return without me," Orion said.

He had just received a message from General Reynold to come to discuss the outcome of their meeting with the new Mysteries for his Divine Mandate, so he wanted to leave immediately.

Evaline nodded in understanding. Instantly, she vanished into thin air.

Orion could sense her presence before the gate of the Golden Palace before stepping into it, her aura vanishing once more.

He vanished and reappeared before the enormous sundial. Placing his hand on the sundial, his body was instantly enveloped in a wave of divine light, pulling him into the sundial.

Unlike before, the sundial had grown to accommodate physical and metaphysical bodies.

Orion's vision grew dark for a moment before light reappeared, and he found himself in a void expanse with General Reynold and Oberon standing beside him.

Before them was an enormous, twelve-step staircase covered in blazing creamy white and ink-black flames of incomprehensible size, stretching within the void as far as his senses could reach. Alongside it was the enormous tree of their Realm, albeit slightly smaller, following closely beside the staircase as though it were being guided forward.

"We have reached an agreeable conclusion. The new Mysteries has decided to grant you a new Divine Mandate—one that will be similar but more powerful than the one given to you by the Will of the Divine Mysteries. Do you accept this gift?" General Reynold said, turning to look at Orion.

"Yes," Orion responded with a nod.

Though he had already anticipated this event and wasn't surprised, he sighed in relief. He couldn't help but wonder how General Reynold and Oberon had discussed matters with the new Mysteries, and he decided to ask about it later. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

He looked forward to his new Divine Mandate and how much more powerful it would be than his previous one.

General Reynold stretched out his hand. "Give me the Divine Mandate," he said.

Orion summoned the Divine Medallion of Sovereign Accord.