Chapter 276 The Search

"When looking for this item, there are a few things to keep in mind…"

"The exterior of the [Bronze Figure Lamp] will be covered with a layer of lacquer. You need to scrape off the outermost layer to reveal its true appearance."

"The [Bronze Figure Lamp] has completely lost the spirit it once contained. It is now just an ordinary, mundane object, so it could be anywhere, even in a farmer's cowshed. This is actually good news because this antique won't be identified as a transcendent item… So with the Li family's power, searching for it won't encounter any obstacles."

"If you have enough financial resources, I suggest expanding the search to the entire Five Continents… It would be best to offer a reward. This is an antique that's at least six hundred years old, so you can eliminate items based on the age of similar objects."

Gu Shen spoke earnestly.

Sitting across from him was the future heir of the Li family.

Li Qingsui held up her small hand, making a circle with her index finger and thumb while raising her other three fingers.

"What does that gesture… mean?"

"No problem."

Li Qingsui said calmly, "If the remaining three Bronze Figure Lamps are just ordinary objects without transcendent aura, as you say… then the Li family will definitely be able to find them."

"No, they're not just simple ordinary objects." Gu Shen rubbed his temples and added, "They're antiques."

"Hmm… antiques, so what?" Li Qingsui raised an eyebrow.

"Valuable…" Realizing that money meant nothing to the Li family, Gu Shen said seriously, "I found the last Bronze Figure Lamp in the snowy tundra… It was buried in a tomb."

"If it hasn't been put on the market, then the difficulty will increase a lot." Li Qingsui frowned slightly and said, "Okay, I take back what I said earlier… I can only guarantee that if those three items are above ground, the Li family can find them."

She snapped her fingers.

Uncle Gao connected the communicator and came before Li Qingsui.

"The matter is simple, find three antiques."

"Yes, very important."

"The files for those three lamps have already been sent over. Increase the reward and expand the search area…" Li Qingsui instructed the Li family butler on the other end of the communicator while glancing at Gu Shen. "Oh… a special reminder, remember to have them pay attention to farmers' cowsheds and newly unearthed ancient tombs…"

Gu Shen knew that the last sentence was Li Qingsui deliberately mocking him.

He shrugged and said lightly, "Perhaps you should also have your subordinates keep an eye on recycling centers."

Li Qingsui hung up the communicator and frowned.

"Since you found one… why not use the same method to find the second one?"

She stood on the top of Shenci Mountain, looking at that small house.

She already knew what had happened before.

"Using the Li family's power to search the world for three antique lamps, even if we can find them, it will take a long time." She raised her chin and said, "Wouldn't it be faster to use the 'Wish Art'?"

Gu Shen was silent for a moment.

Before he could say anything,

"Of course, I care about my sister," Li Qingsui said seriously. "It's not like I want you to sacrifice your lifespan… If possible, I can also make a wish. I'm willing to pay the corresponding price."

"It's useless."

Gu Shen shook his head and said, "I've tried to make a wish… The Scales don't accept the wish for the second lamp at all. Your sister has also tried, and the wish failed."

"Failed… why?" Li Qingsui couldn't understand.

"The reason I was able to find the first lamp… was because my dream guided me to the Lamp of Sorrow. And the purpose of my wish at that time wasn't actually to find the ancient lamp, but to find the snowy tundra in my dream."

Gu Shen considered his words and said, "So, from the perspective of cause and effect… the Wish Art didn't answer the question about the Bronze Figure Lamp. It was only responsible for informing me of the specific location of the snowy tundra in my dream."

If he had acted later and the members of the Evening Bell Church had transported away the ancient coffin, or if Owl had emptied the tomb,

Then even if he went to that snowy tundra, he wouldn't have gained anything.

But if he had directly wished for information on how to obtain the Lamp of Sorrow, then the Scales would have accepted the "feed" and would definitely have given a more detailed hint… such as the time, location, and precautions.

Finding the Lamp of Sorrow was actually a gamble.

He spent thirty days finding a snowy tundra.

He was betting that… there was something he wanted in that snowy tundra!

"And later, both Li Qingci and I tried to find the remaining Bronze Figure Lamps through the Wish Art…" Gu Shen shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, the Scales didn't accept the feed."

A clear look of disappointment appeared on Li Qingsui's small face.

She bit her lip and said unwillingly, "Don't you also know divination? Why don't you try using divination?"

Gu Shen shook his head and said lightly, "Do you think divination doesn't require a price?"

"I'll pay the price!"

Little Li Qingsui said seriously, and as she spoke, she was about to roll up her sleeves. "Whether it's sacrificing lifespan or what, I'll bear these costs."

But after seeing Gu Shen's fingers quietly gathering strength, her expression changed slightly, and she immediately took two steps back.

"It's good that you know your place…"

Gu Shen snorted and said, "It's not a matter of cost… If the Wish Art doesn't accept the feed, will divination accept it? It's clear that even forbidden arts can't give guidance to this item… If it could be divined, wished for, then no one would have noticed anything strange about it for six hundred years."

Li Qingsui sighed softly.

She said "Oh" in a low voice.

"The only way now is to search," Gu Shen said softly. "But… we still have time."

Li Qingsui hoped that her sister could get better soon, but she also knew very well

That after six hundred years of suffering,

They had already seen the dawn.

The waiting that followed… wouldn't be too long.

…

…

"How do you feel?"

The Zero-Zero-One seemed to travel on forever.

The lights in this carriage flickered slightly.

Gu Shen appeared before Chu Ling.

The girl pretended to flip through the documents seriously, but in reality, her mind was… more chaotic than ever, unable to find peace.

"I feel… terrible."

Chu Ling sighed, looked up, and signed earnestly.

"I reached out my hand then…"

"Just a little bit more…"

She recalled the memory of her mental strength pouring into the body of the infant.

At that moment,

She seemed to have life.

But the taste of being born was too short, just a moment, and the "link" was broken.

She returned to reality.

The Zero-Zero-One.

"Just a little bit more, and I could have touched real matter."

The more Chu Ling thought about the "failed birth," the angrier she became. She didn't even know that her cheeks had puffed up, pink and white, like an angry fish.

Gu Shen couldn't help but laugh at this sight.

Sometimes, he really wondered if the girl before him was truly the [Source Code] of the Deep Sea?

Aside from not having a physical body,

Chu Ling was becoming more and more like a "person."

"Remember what I said?"

Gu Shen smiled. "One day, you'll come to this world… From the looks of it, that day won't be too late."

Chu Ling leaned back, sat on the carriage seat, crossed her hands with her fingers interlaced, narrowed her eyes, and watched the light shine through the gaps between her fingers.

She murmured softly, "I can feel the water flowing around me… I can feel the warm light shining on me… If that day won't be too late, then when will that day come?"

These words weren't actually directed at Gu Shen.

She was saying them to herself.

She pulled herself out of her reverie, exhaled lightly, and perked up.

"After the last link, I feel like I've established some kind of special connection with 'Shenci Mountain.'"

"Special connection?"

"It's like…" Chu Ling thought for a long time and said a relatively appropriate word: "Downloading."

Gu Shen was a little bewildered.

"My consciousness seems to have become data… being downloaded by another version of 'me' in another world…"

Chu Ling lowered her eyes and said uncertainly, "I have a feeling that if the download progress bar is full, perhaps the 'Sacred Embryo' in that world, which is what you call it, will be able to be truly born… Of course, all of this is just my premonition. I specially performed calculations and deductions for this, and [Deep Sea] doesn't think this is feasible at all. The answer to every calculation of the success rate is zero."

"There are many other things in this world worth thinking about."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Before finding the Lamp of Sorrow, could you have imagined that you would one day be able to have your own body? Even if… it's just for a brief second?"

Chu Ling was stunned.

Yes… This was simply unimaginable.

Even if [Deep Sea] calculated it a million times, it couldn't be accomplished.

But… This thing had happened to her.

"The reason why miracles are miracles is not only because they are theoretically impossible, but also because there are very few people who believe in their possibility," Gu Shen said softly. "If you really want to become a person, then try to believe that you can really become that person… In that world, belief is existence."

He reached out his hand and smiled, "It must be boring to always stay in the Zero-Zero-One. Why don't you come to my world… and see the scenery?"

…

…

The Four Seasons Wilderness didn't really have much scenery at the moment.

This already desolate world had suffered from the Storm Throne's seawater attack, leaving it truly in a mess, scarred all over.

Gu Shen used a large amount of source material to renovate [New World], which allowed the wilderness to return to normal.

The seawater after the tide receded emitted a humid aura, soaking the soil.

In the center of the wilderness was a huge pit.

Tie Wu was swinging his shovel with all his might when he suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound, and a gust of wind swept past.

A figure appeared beside him.

"God…"

Tie Wu said respectfully, "Mr. Gu."

Taking a closer look… there was another figure.

Tie Wu grinned immediately.

The days of burying himself in work were really boring. These days, he always wanted to see a living person, or the Throne Lord.

It would be good to say a few words.

However, the Throne Lord always returned to the Four Seasons Wilderness in a hurry, and the "guests" he brought back only appeared on the other side of the sky. After counting, Tie Wu had only truly seen the "appearance" of one person.

“…Chu Ling.” Chu Ling said her name softly.

Tie Wu quickly greeted with a smile, "Greetings, Lady Throne."

Lady Throne?

Chu Ling's expression became strange.

Seeing this scene, Gu Shen coughed softly and frowned, "What's going on… Didn't I say… Don't call me Throne…"

Tie Wu understood and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Understood, what you said is right, then I'll just call you Lady from now on."

Chu Ling: "???"

Gu Shen silently gave a thumbs up.

Tie Wu grinned, and the stone hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground.

The last time he saw the Throne Lord… he was extremely worried.

First, he pulled more than three hundred people and detonated his spirit together… Tie Wu knew that this wasn't a big deal for Mr. Gu, but this action meant that a battle had erupted.

Next was the towering seawater!

The spirit of the Storm Throne had descended upon this world.

Although the Throne Lord later left the wilderness with that wisp of spirit… Tie Wu was always worried about what would happen if the Throne Lord lost?

Now, seeing Gu Shen again, Tie Wu felt relieved and also had thousands of emotions in his heart.

As expected… of Mr. Gu!

He put down the shovel and asked cautiously, "Mr… the previous tsunami…"

"Don't worry, it's already been resolved."

Gu Shen asked softly, "Were the seeds affected?"

Already resolved… Tie Wu's tiger body shook, and his expression towards Gu Shen became complicated.

"The seeds haven't been planted yet… According to your instructions, this pit needs to be dug even bigger." Tie Wu murmured, "You just said… the tsunami has been resolved?"

The Storm Throne… was killed by Mr.?

Gu Shen saw the strangeness in Tie Wu's expression, he smiled and said, "It's different from what you think. The cause of that tsunami was just a wisp of divine will… Now that wisp of spirit has been detained by me."

Tie Wu "Oh"ed in a low voice and breathed a sigh of relief.

So that was it… just a wisp of divine will…

It was indeed a battle at the "Throne" level. A wisp of intention was enough to crush an entire spiritual world…

Tie Wu suddenly felt a wave of warmth in his heart. Was the Throne Lord transferring the battlefield because he was afraid of affecting him?

"Wait a minute…"

Tie Wu recalled the previous sentence and suddenly raised his head, asking in surprise, "You detained the Storm Throne's divine will…?"

“…Um.”

Gu Shen asked with a smile, "What? Why are you so surprised?"

Tie Wu smiled awkwardly.

"Because… this is really shocking news."

He said with emotion, "I have been an apostle of the Source Tower for many years, following the Divine Seat of the Wine God… The reason why apostles can become characters that even the governments of the Five Continents are afraid of is because of the faith objects containing divine power."

Once the faith object erupted,

The apostle would possess "divine power!"

Even if it was just a very small wisp… that was overwhelming power that mortals could not resist!

In fact, faith objects were common, but apostles were not. Choosing an apostle was a complex matter… Each Divine Seat had a different personality, so the way they sought out "diviners" was also different.

Therefore, those who could be selected to become "apostles"… must be the Divine Seat's "confidants."

In a sense, apostles had lost the qualification to "die." After knowing a large number of the Divine Seat's secrets, they either lived to serve the Divine Seat or died with these secrets… Of course, not all Divine Seats were like the two from the Source Tower, who could mercilessly erase their own "apostles."

It was said that the Empress of the Northern Continent cherished her apostles very much. She had once suffered serious injuries and shed Divine Blood in the chaotic lands outside the Northern Continent to save an apostle.

And the Empress's apostles were also willing to dedicate everything to her!

"After the apostle dies… the faith object will be destroyed, but the divine power within the faith object will not be destroyed."

Tie Wu said seriously, "After refining the Fire Seed, the Divine Seat has completely transcended mortality… They are almost indestructible and cannot be destroyed. Even the spirits and divine power they disperse are indestructible individuals."

"Let's take the sentence that everyone knows as an example… The only thing that can fight against a god is another god."

Tie Wu said in a low voice, "The word 'fight' is used in this sentence because even a god cannot erase another god. This is what the Wine God told me personally – a god may be defeated, but they can never be killed."

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes.

"Over the years, there have only been Divine Seats who died of natural causes, not Divine Seats who were killed… Although they have transcended mortality, their cells will also age, and they cannot achieve true immortality." Tie Wu's expression was solemn, and he smiled self-deprecatingly. "After a Divine Seat dies, the power of the Fire Seed will also be completely preserved. Sometimes I think that compared to those who sit on the Divine Seat… perhaps those few Fire Seeds are the real, immortal 'gods.'"

Taking a deep breath,

Tie Wu said with awe, "Mr. Gu, if I heard correctly… you just detained a wisp of the Storm Throne's spirit?"

Gu Shen nodded with a complicated expression.

The power that the Divine Seat bestowed upon the apostles was a very small part of themselves.

And that wisp of spirit was even smaller, so small that it was imperceptible.

The "trident" that the Storm Throne bestowed upon the Evening Bell Church… He probably forgot about it himself.

As the Divine Seat of the Southern Continent, he only needed to separate a small, imperceptible spirit and inject it evenly into many counterfeit tridents as a gift from the gods to the churches in different regions and with different beliefs.

This was not something worth caring about at all… As time passed, those counterfeits would be used and broken.

The spiritual power, as thin as a spider's thread, would then return.

"Actually…"

Gu Shen explained, "That's a very small, very small spirit… It can't be compared to what's in the apostle's faith object at all."

Tie Wu shook his head.

"In any case… what you did was…"

He thought for a long time and said the two most simple words: "A miracle."

A miracle?

Gu Shen was silent. He thought for a moment and did not deny it.

Because his previous wording was still cautious.

What the jade finger ring was doing… what was called detention?

This was clearly digestion!

The Storm Throne's spirit was slowly dissolving within the jade finger ring's space.

It wouldn't be long before it was completely swallowed.

"In my heart, you are a well-deserved Divine Seat…"

Tie Wu knelt on one knee and performed a great salute to show his loyalty. He held the shovel and said in a powerful voice, "Apostle Tie Wu is willing to go through fire and water for the Divine Seat!"

…

…

(ps: Including the makeup chapter, I updated 15,000 words today~)