Chapter 380: News of the Civil War

Don’t you know that believers are nothing but those transformed by the True God through the dissemination of His power to intelligent beings? Thus, the True God, as the Creator, possesses the ability to create believers on His own, just as Donald can use the Book of Truth to directly create relatively perfect intelligent races as His followers.

Secondly, the guardians of the True God’s kingdom are usually creatures nurtured by the True God or those who have seized power, while messengers are typically served by powerful Holy Spirits. After all, besides representing the True God in carrying out tasks, the main role of a messenger is to act as an incarnation of the True God in battle. Almost any Holy Spirit possesses strength beyond legendary levels, and those serving particularly powerful True Gods can even reach the status of near-gods. In history, some of the True Gods’ subordinate deities were originally bestowed by Holy Spirits!

Yet even an established mid-tier god may not have enough Holy Spirits at His disposal. Raising the level of faith is extremely difficult—requiring devotion even greater than that of fanatical ascetics or zealots who dedicate everything to the True God. Such Holy Spirits might appear once in every hundred thousand believers.

Therefore, creating creatures with strength comparable to that of Holy Spirits to serve as messengers is much faster than nurturing Holy Spirits among believers on one’s own, saving a True God hundreds of years of time!

Although Donald could use the Book of Truth to create life in the past, that was not a power he possessed on his own. He merely benefited from the legacy of the book’s previous owner—one of the three great gods of another world, who was not only a powerful higher god but also a Creator. That’s why he was able to design a creation altar of such overwhelming power!

But now, by mastering the knowledge of the creation realm analyzed by the Book of Truth and combining it with the creation altar, Donald is confident that he will qualify as a Creator once he becomes a True God.

After briefly summarizing the gains from this journey and confirming there were no omissions, Donald waved his hand, unleashing magical flames to destroy all traces of this place. Then, using the abilities he had acquired, his figure blurred, and he disappeared into the underground world.

Above the town of Dusk Town, in the territory of Dalaran…

Donald’s figure flashed and appeared atop the mysterious tower behind the lord’s mansion, the highest building in the town.

“This mental teleportation is indeed much more convenient than the teleportation technique granted by the Book of Truth. It’s a shame it’s still a power bestowed by equipment. Perhaps at the level of a True God, I can find a way to truly acquire such a talent!”

Sighing, Donald glanced around at the town in his domain and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Dalaran had now replaced Stonetalon as the most prosperous center in the northern region of Thelos. Through successive expansions, Dusk Town had more than doubled in size; even the previously vacant areas Donald had planned for were now filled with new buildings and facilities. Rows of neatly arranged residences shared a similar style to the existing ones, creating a town that combined commercial development with leisure and entertainment.
However, what Donald saw now was somewhat different from before. Though Dusk Town remained prosperous, the people seemed hurried, lacking the leisurely atmosphere of old.
He couldn’t figure out the reason even by pondering atop the tower, so he decided to return to the lord’s manor and ask his subordinates.
Without further thought, Donald appeared in the courtyard of the lord’s manor and summoned Carlisle and the others from the demi-plane with a wave of his hand.
“Finally out! Have we returned to Dalaran?”
“Your demi-plane is quite large, but its rules are incomplete. It feels stifling—outside is much more refreshing…”
As soon as Carlisle returned to the real world, he took a deep breath and complained jokingly.
Strictly speaking, what Donald had done—keeping followers captive—actually violated the gods’ prohibitions and amounted to the actions of a false god.
But Donald hadn’t hidden anything about the demi-plane from them; they were his closest people, and he trusted they wouldn’t reveal a word. As for the outsider, Chickofield, it was even less likely he would report to the gods’ church!
Whether as an undead lich or a former archmage, he would never be accepted by the true gods’ church, nor would he seek to get close to them.
Indeed, as soon as Chickofield emerged from the demi-plane, he exclaimed to Donald, “Donald, your talent and potential truly astonish even the gods. Judging from the rules of this demi-plane, your achievements already rival those of any of the dozen or so legendary mage lords in the Baned Empire!”
Donald felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise from the high-level lich. Most of the rules in the demi-plane were actually established by the Book of Truth. Although what he had created surpassed what ordinary new legends could master, he knew he was still far behind the thirteen great mage lords of the Magic Empire—those powerful legendary lords whose mere footsteps could shake the entire continent.

It should be noted that the Banai Empire once had a considerable number of legendary mages—nearly three hundred were registered in the empire alone. To stand out among those nearly a hundred legendary mages and become one of the thirteen great lords of this powerful empire speaks to the extraordinary strength and wisdom of those thirteen legendary mage lords. These thirteen mage lords have always been the pinnacle of the mage community; each excelled to the utmost in their respective fields. It is said that even the gods admired the achievements they developed. The current mage factions were established after they organized the arcane traditions, which is why they hold such a high status among the many mages in the Magic Empire. Rumors say that many of the thirteen great lords, including the Banai Mage Emperor, have approached the status of demigods or even become demigods themselves. Even if they haven’t truly ignited divine flames, their powers, through certain means, are no less than those of true demigods.

Donald knew that aside from his knowledge as a legendary mage, most of his achievements were thanks to the Power of Truth. So, upon hearing praise from Cicofield, an elder who had lived for nearly two thousand years, he couldn’t help but feel flustered. Upon learning of Donald’s return, not only the officials in his domain but also mages like Messel and Chris from the mage tower, as well as ThThセル overseeing the Orc Valley, rushed to the lord’s manor. For once, all the high-ranking figures in the Dalaran domain gathered together. After listening to Donald recount his journey to the Abyss and the perilous process of his return, even the most experienced old mages couldn’t help but worry for their disciple! After sharing his experiences and addressing everyone’s concerns, Donald asked, “It seems a bit tense in the domain! Has anything happened while we were away?” The people left behind exchanged glances before the most respected old mage, Messel, spoke up: “Not long after you left, the royal family established Prince Duri’s right to inherit the throne. Prince Andrew, who returned defeated, declared himself king on the grounds of unfair royal appointment. With the support of his allies, he has firmly taken control of the six southern towns and most of the surrounding areas, splitting off nearly one-fifth of Celt’s territory!” Hearing this, Donald said gravely, “It seems Andrew has ultimately taken the path we least wanted to see! What have the royal family and other noble lords done in response?”

Tik, the head of the intelligence department, took over and reported, “My lord, the royal family has issued a statement condemning Andrew’s actions outright. They are preparing to send troops to the south to suppress the rebellion. The military faction led by the Ansel family and other nobles also support the royal decision. Most of the other established noble families are also pessimistic about the situation in the south—after all, everyone knows that nobles under the church’s control have little freedom! But these major noble families only verbally side with the royal family and will not deploy their own forces in the suppression campaign.”

Donald nodded and said, “This is all within expectations. Those families have managed to remain strong for hundreds of years precisely because they are as cunning as foxes. In uncertain situations, they won’t make hasty decisions—otherwise, if they choose the wrong side, they’ll surely face consequences, and their centuries-old legacy could be ruined. If it were me, I’d make the same decision!”

“There are also some nobles waiting to see how things develop. Most of these nobles are connected to the crown prince. Out of fear that they might be punished after the new king ascends the throne if the crown prince loses power, their attitudes are rather hesitant!”

Donald shook his head and said, “Those guys won’t amount to much. But what about our Lord of Stonehenge? What are the plans of the new Viscount Macbeth?”

Donald paid close attention to his old neighbor—after all, although his own territory was well-defended, it wasn’t without vulnerabilities. If the other side were determined to cause trouble, he would still be the one to deal with it!

Having grown much more mature and steady over these days, Tik replied promptly, “Our intelligence department has devoted the most resources to monitoring Stonehenge. But in the Viscount Macbeth’s residence, nothing has happened lately—on the contrary, it seems they care nothing about the outside world. This silence makes me and my colleagues in the intelligence department feel something is off!”

“Exactly! The more normal things seem at this time, the more abnormal their behavior is. The Macbeth family has always been a staunch loyalist of the crown prince’s faction. If they completely abandoned their past identity, that would be abnormal! There must be some conspiracy that outsiders can’t detect. It seems we need to send experts to investigate further!”

Upon hearing Donald’s words, Carlisle was the first to offer to participate.

“How could I miss out on something so fun? Back in the Dark Lands, I often carried out missions to infiltrate enemy camps. Although Abel is a bit less skilled, he was the best assassin in Scorpion Tail City back then—his stealth skills are unmatched, and with his extensive experience, he’s the perfect candidate for this task!”