Lord of Prayer - Chapter 180 - 138: Classified Intelligence
Chapter 180: Chapter 138: Classified Intelligence
An unknown hall. A mysterious entity. A bizarre encounter…
Colin’s mind raced as he struggled to remain calm. After a moment’s hesitation, he offered a cautious, polite reply:
“Good evening. May I ask where I am?”
“A space that exists outside of reality. To put it in terms you can understand…” The mysterious figure, shrouded in white mist, smiled faintly.
“—This is a place where wishes can be granted.”
’Granting wishes?’
Colin immediately grew wary. In fields like Mysticism and Extraordinary Studies, wishes were usually associated with sinister beings like Demons and Evil Gods. These entities would use tempting wishes to lure mortals into signing contracts, guiding their victims down a painful Road to Hell.
Most of those wishes were never granted in a straightforward manner.
Even a simple wish for a bottle of water would be twisted by the sick humor of Demons and Evil Gods, leading to a perverse or disastrous outcome.
For example, a person crossing the street might be holding a bottle of water. The next second, they could be struck and killed on the spot by a car with failed brakes. The untouched bottle of water would then fly perfectly into the Wisher’s hand. And the person killed by the car? It would very likely be the Wisher’s relative or lover.
’If this is a place that can grant wishes, then the mysterious figure before me…’
In his mind, Colin equated the entity before him with malevolent beings like Demons and Evil Gods.
But as if reading his mind, the mysterious figure’s indifferent chuckle sent a cold sweat down Colin’s back. “Mr. Colin Hurst, it’s quite rude to lump me in with Demons and Evil Gods.”
’He—he can read my mind? Or is it some other Ability?’ Colin hastily reined in his thoughts, forcing himself to stop his mind from racing.
“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Colin. I am no Demon.”
The mysterious figure leaned back into the ancient, high-backed obsidian chair. He crossed his legs, rested his elbows on the armrests, and steepled his fingers, speaking in a leisurely manner:
“Some call me the ’Lamp God,’ while others call me the ’God of Wishes’… You can call me whatever you like.
“This is my Divine Kingdom. Only the fated who meet certain conditions can appear here and receive the chance to have their wishes granted.
“And tonight, you are that fated one.”
’The Lamp God… the God of Wishes…’ Colin’s breath caught in his throat. ’And he said this is his Divine Kingdom…’
’Could he be a Demigod Level Ascender?’
But he had read his family’s top-secret files. He knew of most of the world’s powerhouses, and not a single one of them wielded Authority over the Realm of wishes. Only Demons and Evil Gods dabbled in such things to deceive mortals.
’Or could this Lamp God, this God of Wishes, have come from a recently unsealed Restricted Area?’
’Or perhaps he had secluded himself from the world, slumbering for a long time, so long that even the Star Association had no record of him?’
A thousand theories raced through Colin’s mind as he fell into endless speculation. After a long moment, he forced himself to calm down and asked steadily, “You can grant my wishes?”
“I am the God of Wishes. I know the desires of your heart, so naturally, I can help you fulfill them. For instance, your craving for revenge, your ambition, and your current predicament…”
Colin’s expression faltered. Those were his most deeply hidden secrets. At that moment, he felt completely transparent, as if not a single stray thought could be hidden from the entity before him.
“Of course, wishes come at a price. I am a fan of equivalent exchange, much like the fundamental principle of Alchemy: you get what you give.”
“’Equivalent exchange…’ Colin murmured, lost in thought. He asked tentatively, ’If I wanted to find a fugitive in hiding, what would the price be?’”
“Qin Xu and his daughter?” the Lamp God asked.
Even knowing the entity could perform Mind Reading, Colin was still startled. He nodded. “Yes.”
“Some interesting intelligence will suffice.”
The God of Wishes chuckled. “When I’m in a good mood, the principle of equivalence isn’t so important.”
’A rather easygoing and gentle Demigod?’
Colin breathed a small sigh of relief. As he mulled it over in silence, he found himself tempted.
’First of all, the ability to pull me from the Star Association into this place, completely undetected, was proof of his immense power. He had to be either a Demigod or a Crowned King.’
’Second, the Lamp God didn’t seem to be a malevolent being. He even seemed disdainful of Demons and Evil Gods, as if being compared to them was beneath his Status.’
’And finally, he, Colin Hurst, needed this stroke of fortune.’
’Just as the Lamp God had said, he was ambitious and craved revenge. On top of that, many in his family were targeting him, trying to squeeze him for all he was worth, or even kill him. Without outside help, breaking free from his current predicament would be incredibly difficult.’
’If he could gain an advantage by trading with the Lamp God, it would be an enormous help.’
“Mr. Lamp God, the Desire Demon from the Abyss recently appeared in Jinzhu. Were you aware of this?” Colin asked. In his mind, it was more likely that the Lamp God only knew of his personal desires and was ignorant of other matters.
From within the swirling white mist, Zhou Chen smiled. “For the past month, Jinzhu City has been the focus of the entire world. Did you really think I wouldn’t be paying close attention?”
’The recent great battle in Jinzhu even touched upon the Divine Realm, and an Authority Object even appeared. It must have attracted many hidden spectators, and the Lamp God was probably one of them…’ Seeing that this piece of intelligence was useless, Colin wracked his brain for something more appropriate to the entity’s Status:
“I have some intelligence related to Fallen Paradise.
“Three years ago, my squad and I were on a mission in Australia, hunting a fugitive. During the chase, he escaped into a subterranean cave system. We pursued him inside, but it wasn’t long before I got separated from my teammates.
“The cave system had many branching paths. I proceeded cautiously, and at the end of one tunnel, I unexpectedly discovered a bank of elevators. Several were damaged beyond repair and covered in dust, looking like they’d been there for hundreds of years. Their construction wasn’t modern; they looked more like artifacts from the Old Era.
“The fugitive suddenly rushed out and tried to ambush me, but I reacted in time and wounded him. Our fight spilled into one of the elevators, which, surprisingly, was still operational. In the middle of the struggle, we accidentally hit a button. By the time I killed him, the elevator had already activated and sealed itself shut.
“The elevator descended for a long time. When the doors opened, I found myself in a vast, empty hall. I explored for a bit and found what looked like a command center. Inside, only the faint lights of instruments flickered. Cobwebs covered everything, and the floor was littered with skeletons. The people seemed to have died instantly, in the middle of their tasks, without a struggle.
“I took the elevator back up and contacted my teammates. After some discussion, we sent a message to the Star Association and decided to go back down to investigate.”
Here, Colin paused, then said in a solemn tone, “It was a human shelter from the Old Era!”
“’The people of the Old Era built an underground city capable of housing hundreds of thousands. As we ventured deeper, we found a great deal of important data, including information related to Fallen Paradise.
“’Even back in the Old Era, Fallen Paradise was already active. They went about creating one disaster after another, claiming they wanted to resurrect their great master. According to the files we found, the destruction of the Old Era is inextricably linked to Fallen Paradise.’”
Zhou Chen nodded slightly, showing his approval of the intelligence. “So, there was a shelter built by Old Era humans beneath Australia… Did the people inside die from the pressure of a Divine War during the apocalypse?”
“Yes… Hundreds of thousands of people died at the exact same moment, but there wasn’t much damage to the city itself. It was likely just the aftershock,” Colin replied, steeling himself, though his mind was reeling.
’The Lamp God didn’t react at all to the part about Fallen Paradise. That means he already knew about the secret information that the Star Association keeps under tight lock and key!’
’Instead, it was the shelter under Australia that piqued his interest.’
“The Star Association has probably sealed that place off by now, hasn’t it? A real shame.” Zhou Chen shook his head regretfully, then looked at Colin. “This is good intelligence. I like it.”
“So, your wish is to find the whereabouts of Qin Xu and his daughter, correct?”
“Yes.”
SNAP!
Zhou Chen snapped his fingers. “Your wish has been granted.”
The next second, a map appeared in Colin’s Spiritual World. A cursor on it marked the location of Qin Xu and his daughter.
’He just marked the location directly on a map? So convenient…’ Colin glanced at it and saw that Qin Xu and his daughter were still in Jinzhu. He rose and bowed. “Thank you for your help. I will keep what happened here a secret and tell no one.”
Zhou Chen maintained his profound demeanor and nodded. “That will be all for tonight.”
As he was about to sever the connection, Colin quickly spoke up. “Please wait, Mr. Lamp God! I have one more question.”
“What question?”
“Have other fated people come here before me? There are so many seats… Is this some kind of Extraordinary gathering?”
’I haven’t even mentioned a gathering and you’re already asking about it?’ Zhou Chen grumbled internally. ’It seems Colin wants to seize this opportunity and continue to profit from it. He’s desperate for outside help.’
“Mr. Colin, do you want to join the gathering?” Zhou Chen asked with a smile.
“I do,” Colin replied in a solemn voice.
“Very well. In that case, be patient. When the time is right, I will summon you.”
Zhou Chen gave a mysterious smile. Then, with a mere thought, he severed the connection, and Colin’s figure vanished instantly.
’Not a bad haul this time. I got a piece of classified intelligence and even roped in a new member…’ Zhou Chen leaned back in his chair, recalling the information.
’Fallen Paradise was already active toward the end of the Old Era, creating one disaster after another. Their activities are inextricably linked to the fall of the Old Era, and they want to resurrect their great master…’
’At the time, there was no news about Fallen Paradise, but the world was certainly experiencing numerous natural and man-made disasters. On the surface, things seemed stable, but in reality, a dark tide was surging.
’Droughts, wildfires, floods, dust storms, sinking ships, plane crashes… While such news happens every year and is nothing new, the disasters were far too concentrated during that period. There was even talk of the end of the world. So, it seems Fallen Paradise was pulling the strings behind the scenes…’
’They wanted to resurrect their great master… Who is this great master? And did they succeed?’
After five full minutes of silent contemplation, Zhou Chen sighed. His consciousness receded, leaving the Round Table Hall and returning to reality.
Gazing at the dark ceiling, listening to the steady breathing in the lounge and Xiao Ju’s faint purr, his thoughts began to drift. He was suddenly very curious to see how Colin would reveal Qin Xu’s location to the others.
